like lightning?

Ever notice how the shape of macaroni really is sort of a sham?

Waiter: "Which type of pasta would you like?"

Me: "Does it matter?"

Waiter: (looks around, leans in) "No, not really." 

Sometimes people think this to be true of God... that you can pick any faith or religious figure to follow and you'll end up in the same place.

Unfortunately, the same can be true even when you're living within the truth of who God is. It's easy for people to assume that you can pick any form of Christianity to follow, whether you're more conservative or liberal, and it's all legit.

The truth is there is only one form of Christianity - Jesus lived it, and we can't... yet we're invited to.

How does that happen, then? How can we do something that we can't do?

I like this quote from Peter Kreeft as insight:

“Christ changed every human being he ever met…. If anyone claims to have met him without being changed, he has not met him at all. When you touch him, you touch lightning…. I think Jesus is the only man in history who never bored anyone. I think this is an empirical fact, not just a truth of faith. It’s one of the reasons for believing his central claim, and Christianity’s central claim, that he is literally God in the flesh…. The Greek word used to describe everyone’s reaction to him in the Gospels is thauma— wonder. This was true of his enemies, who killed him. Of his disciples, who worshipped him. And even of agnostics, who went away shaking their heads and muttering ‘No man every spoke like this man’ and knowing that if he didn’t stop being what he was and saying what he said that eventually they would have to side with either his killers or his worshippers. For ‘Jesus shock’ breaks your heart in two and forces you to choose which half of your heart you will follow….”

Is your faith like pasta... 

or is it like lightning?

TGIF?

TGIF?

Just a thought - you can just aim for the next temporary buzz, or actually thank God it's Friday by finding real joy in how you live today:

• Look people in the eye, giving them all of your attention.
  It offers worth to the person.
  
• Tell the truth, even if it means you have to appear foolish.
  It fosters integrity to your life.
  
• Own a situation you should have handled differently, even if it feels "in the past" or you'd rather not acknowledge where you dropped the ball.It restores value to the relationship.
  
• Make a difference by helping restore people and things back to their original, created God-given purpose.
  It adds vision to everything you do.

Or, you know... just live for the next temporary buzz.

As for me and my household, though... I'm all in.

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

gut check: a quick audit

Gut check of the day:

• Your Google search history is a glimpse into your heart.
  
  
• Your bank statement is a glimpse into your priorities.
  
  
• Your calendar is a glimpse into your intentions.

Question:

• When you call God "God," does He reply back, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." 

4 questions to realign your life

Are you trying to give the world energy you don't have?

Maybe you do have it, but it's misaligned.

We often tend to live against the grain of who God created us to be, even when we're doing the things we think He wants us to do. At times a realignment means a change in circumstances, but often it's an internal shift that changes how you approach those very same circumstances. It's a process of uncovering the "created you" you were meant to be and can be, which in turn means personally unearthing what Jesus meant when He said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23) 

One of the biggest culprits is in thought patterns we live by. For some strange reason even Christians will say we will do something because "I have a peace about it." Strangely, God didn't call us to feel at ease with what we do. Our ministry on earth often means doing whatever will bring life to others, for often  the Lord calls us into chaos to bring peace.

This is why your quiet time with God matters more than you give it credit for. Especially in today's culture, you're likely more "active" than ever before, often at the expense of the ancient practice of contemplation. Parker Palmer, author of "Let Your Life Speak," shares this great thought:

True self, when violated, will always resist us, sometimes at great cost, holding our lives in check until we honor its truth.

Vocation does not come from willfulness. It comes from listening. I must listen to my life and try to understand what it is truly about quite apart from what I would like it to be about – or my life will never represent anything real in the world, no matter how earnest my intentions.

Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear. Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am. I must listen for the truths and values at the heart of my own identity, not the standards by which I must live — but the standards by which I cannot help but live if I am living my own life.  - Parker Palmer

To clarify what this means, Palmer has stated, "I would be lost in the dark without the light Christianity sheds on my life, the light I find in truths like incarnation, grace, sacrament, forgiveness, blessing, and the paradoxical dance of death and resurrection."

If you resonate with how your life needs to resonate, here are some key questions to ask to better align your life "as is" into what you were actually created for:

Where is the life/joy?

• What are your reactions to life?
• When was the last time you felt joyful, be it through an experience, conversation, event, movie, etc? Did you pay attention to it at the time?
• When does a surge of energy/enthusiasm come into you? (Pay attention to it next time.)
• Where are you assuming you are doing the right thing because it feels peaceful. Might you have settled for false peace versus working toward a peace beyond understanding that might require doing what's difficult?

Where is the impact/fruit?

• 1 Peter 4:2 clarifies that our lives are not merely for ourselves, for a Christian "does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God."
• Jesus reminds us in John 15 that what is publicly birthed out of our life is directly related to what we do behind closed doors.
• How have you avoided fruit in one area of your life because you feel productive in another area?

Where is the affirmation?

• Who is someone who speaks into your life and won't tell you what you want to hear?
• What are the projects or places you are at ease with what needs to be done?
• How are you able to do things others seem unable to do?
• Where are you bumping into God on things He is resisting you on?

What is your character like when you are and aren't doing something significant?

• You have cracks in your character. What is the break-up in your make-up?
• Where are you demanding people just need to "understand you" instead of you doing the hard work of growing up?
• When you're sitting around waiting for the next "battle," what's happening inside of you?

If you want to become clearer on the path God has you on, take those questions in personally as well as with others who will share the journey with you.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him,and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

get off the fence

If you are riding the fence in an area of life, don't be surprised at the damage you cause to yourself and others falling off. 

We want it all, but often won't commit because we're *sure* the grass is greener on the other side... or was it the other side? 

Be careful - your weight will soon shift when you least expect it, and hurt will unfortunately occur all around you. 

Both sides of the fence involve comfort AND carrying your cross. 

Buck up.

Get off the fence.

"You don't have to be a genius to understand these things. Just use your common sense, the kind you'd use if, while being taken to court, you decided to settle up with your accuser on the way, knowing that if the case went to the judge you'd probably go to jail and pay every last penny of the fine. That's the kind of decision I'm asking you to make." (Luke 12:57, MSG)

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)

3 things great leaders do that we never forget

According to Jill Geisler, head of the Leadership and Management Group at Poynter, workers trust, respect, and follow the best leaders and managers not just because they’re smart and have influence. She writes:

"There are no flawless bosses. Even the great ones have their quirks. But they possess something that overshadows their shortcomings: the trust of people who choose to follow them."

She goes on to illustrate three things that followers/workers truly value and remember about their leaders:

• How a boss apologizes—Apologies should be sincere, specific, and public when needed. Leaders who admit and apologize for their errors are deemed as stronger.
  
  
• My observation: Consider Psalm 51 - it is a public confession of King David's sin. Did you ever consider that he could have continued to sweep this under the carpet, but instead came out with it?
  
  
  
• How a boss handles an employee’s error—Great leaders know a first-rate employee regrets an honest mistake. The leader listens to and speaks with the employee to learn what caused the error, how to avoid again it in the future, and how to best handle it now.
  
  
• My observation: I have watched what happens when people come to me with behaviors or actions that they feel ashamed of and I try to take the approach Jesus took with the woman caught in adultery. He didn't slam her with a label, but began by calling her "woman." There is something that builds between two people when we respond with dignity in their embarrassment.
  
  
  
• How a boss responds to an important personal life event—Workers never forget when their leader supports them in both joyful and tragic situations such as funerals, weddings, child’s illness, etc.
  
  
• My observation: It drives me crazy when I can't be present for someone's tragedy... because when I have been there I see how significant it is to weep and laugh with someone else. Some of my best friendships - ironically - we deepened by a tragedy.
  

Great leaders work hard to earn the trust of others, but sometimes it's as simple as these three areas. When people see a clear, healthy correlation between a leader’s values and his/her actions, they will never forget.

Where have you seen this play out in your life?