glocal
My first thought as we arrived at the airport in Guatemala was definitely, “I’m not ready to go home.” The trip was fulfilling in so many ways, yet because of the abundant number of experiences and interactions, its almost too difficult to put them into words for the purposes of writing. As I continue to meditate on what the Lord began showing me in Guatemala, there has been one overwhelming premise that He has affirmed and reinforced in my life; God desires for me to be Glocal.
By now, the term Glocal has become a buzz word in certain ministry circles around the country but I remember clearly when I first heard the term. The desire to be a global and locally aware Christian has been at the forefront of my mind as I’ve ventured forward in life and ministry. Over time, I’ve discovered that it is easy to become consumed with your current situation and therefore lose focus of the fact that we need to be aware of our surroundings in our communities and around the world. God has been igniting in me a fire to move more proactively in the area of outreach and community relations, as of late. The trip to Guatemala was a great way for me to experience Jesus in a context that isn’t familiar to me and hence a reminder that God is at work all around the world and simply allows for us to be a part of his plan. He doesn’t need us to do anything but allows us to worship him through our work and in turn experience the benefits and blessings of seeing the results of what He does.
My relationship with Jesus, not my flesh, brings forth a desire to do good works. The important thing that I’ve realized lately is that God desires for us to contend for justice at all times. I’ve realized that the good works that I’m motivated toward include contending for those that can’t contend for themselves. As much as I felt like I wanted to stay in Guatemala and continue the work we were doing, I was immediately reminded that there is abundant opportunity to respond to God’s call for missions right here in our communities.
All in all, I’m so happy to be a follower of the Way. I’m receptive to whatever God leads our family toward and I know that I will be a Golcal Christian for the rest of my life!
on our way…
We are on our way. The statement is relevant in so many ways today.
I’m am writing from a plane seat, traveling with our student ministry to Guatemala to experience the love of Christ in that amazing country. Its fun to watch the interactions of our team members as they prepare to embark on a journey to a new adventure. There are a few students that have never flown before and it was great to watch their flow of emotion as we prepared to take off and later reached cruising altitude. There has been much planning and preparation, prayer and petition to this point. There came a time when all of the preparation ceased and we actually headed toward to goal we have set. We can now officially say, we are on our way.
I feel like that is the place in life that Monique and I currently rest in. I believe that we are on our way. Now I know that it may seem that this statement is obtuse and general, but it is really a place that we have actively journeyed toward. We have done much in life to prepare and make our best thought plans. What we’ve recognized as of late is that God desires for us to move toward HIM in a proactive way, not toward what we think would be the best outcome. Rather than just staying in the planning and prep stage, we are saying YES to God and allowing Him to determine our course. I’ve shared previously of the hindrances that come with my desire to hear from Him. We resolve, though, to relinquish control and just simply trust in the fact that He has our best in mind, even if its different than the best WE have in mind. Though life has been moving forward for a long time, it feels good to know that we are on our way… To walking in obedience to His plan and not ours.
faith with an *asterisk
There are a few uses for the asterisk in our common thought and writing, but it is for one intent and purpose that this symbol comes to my mind today. The asterisk (*) can be used to call for a footnote or the need for further explanation when simply seeing the word or remark is not enough to explain the whole story. One instance that has been hotly debated in sports circles recently is whether an asterisk should follow some of the records broken in Major League Baseball during the “steroid era” of recent years. In this case, the number (for example, Barry Bonds 73 home run season) wouldn’t communicate the whole story, and many feel that placing an * by it would direct people to the footnote or further explanation.
In recent weeks I’ve been intentional to assess my life, vision, and my following of the Holy Spirit’s leading. I’ve realized that if I’m honest, many times in instances of faith I have placed an asterisk by the word. The footnote is that in relation to “faith filled” decisions, many times my preconceived notions or expectations are what lead me to move “in faith”. If faith is truly the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen then there have been times that I’ve come up short in truly having proper faith. I’ve recognized in myself that at times, I will make a decision in faith only if I feel that the outcome will be in line with MY hopes or expectations, not GOD’s desires. If I’m not truly submissive to WHATEVER God may determine as a best result of moving forward in faith, then I’m not really moving in faith at all.
Recently, I have been feeling the leading of the spirit toward some obedience and faith decisions that would require a relinquishing of control, as well as, an intensely locked in approach to yielding to the Holy Spirit’s direction. What I’ve discovered is that in this process, there have been a few times that I’ve been able to hear clearly and faithfully follow the Lord’s direction. More times, though, I’ve been placing an * by my faith and predetermining my course based off of MY best idea and MY understanding of the situation. As a result of this, I’ve been humbled and corrected in areas that I’ve assumed ownership of, rather than allowing for God to determine my best course of action.
As I journey toward a life that truly is not just self-consumed, it’s important for me to remember that God really is all that I say that He is. I need to really and truly believe it. He CAN redeem any situation. He CAN provide for our needs. He CAN do all things. The beautiful thing is that despite the asterisk I use on occasion, He loves me wholly and fully without one.
an explanation
I’m extremely excited about the thoughts and ideas that have been stirring in my mind and heart. I’m moving into a time that may not be as “comfortable” as my flesh would hope but I know it will be extremely fulfilling to my soul. Though I’ve touched on the premise, I think the phrase “a fifty percent life” warrants a bit more of an explanation.
My motivation is to strive to fulfill the command to love my neighbor as myself and simply be more aware of others. I know that it is easy for me, in many ways, to justify my current lifestyle and involvement in ministry as “enough” in accordance with the expectations for the Christian life in our culture. I just can’t help but to believe that God desires more. The more I read scripture and examine the life of Jesus, the more I see a picture of love and compassion that transcends just verbal affirmation. My hope is that I would be so adherent to the command to truly love my neighbor like myself, that I would be equally as interested in their affairs and needs as my own. Whether it involves finances, time, food, spirituality, education, justice, etc., I’d love to know that my concerns and thoughts were truly split “50/50″. If I’m considering how I will spend some extra money, my prayer is that my thoughts would go to the needs of others. If I’m considering cooking a large meal, my prayer is that my thoughts would go to those that aren’t able to eat like I am about to. I think you gather my point. What’s more, I pray that all of this doesn’t simply reside in the cerebral context but that these things would flesh out in my life.
The immediate thoughts of others may be to try to explain to me why it is wrong to focus on this mindset, simply because I have a family and a future to focus on first. Though the ministry toward my wife is first, my response would be to ask why our thoughts don’t first go to how can we accomplish this in our lives instead of trying to justify the way that we currently live. I want to even take a step back from this statement because my writing is not intended to be an indictment on anyone else. This is simply a venue in which I am able to scribe my thoughts in this area.
I believe that God desires the best for us. The problem that I’ve recognized is that I have predetermined what “best” actually is, rather than waiting for Him to show me what He thinks is best. I want to lock in to the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life. I want to know that He can move and transform not only others but my heart as well. I want it to be identifiable that the Spirit of God is present and working in my life in a powerful way. I want to live a fifty percent life.
a fifty percent life…
I’ve batted around the idea of starting a blog on occasion… and once or twice, I’ve actually gone through with it. I have been encouraged on occasion to share my thoughts through this medium and the idea seemed appealing enough. What I’ve discovered is that my failing in the past in consistent blog writing has been a lack of a directed vision and purpose for the blog itself.
Recently I’ve taken up running and it has been a time in which I’ve been able to clear my mind and connect to my present purpose. It was during one of these recent runs that I was inspired to engage, once again, in the blog process. For the first time, I feel like there are specific goals that I can identify in relation to writing. I always prefer a conversation to a discourse and I hope that it would be the same in this area as well. The thoughts and feedback of others can bring illumination to a situation, even in a circumstance of differing opinions. In addition to providing a venue to share my thoughts in life and ministry, this blog will also provide an area of accountability toward the goals that I aspire to in life and ministry. Speaking of those aspirations…
The prevailing thoughts in my mind during the past few months have been of community. My full desire and connection to what this actually means in my life had yet to be determined when I began to pinpoint the desire that was rising in me. I truly want to connect to, live and embody the command that comes in Mark 12:30-31. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. This should be the obvious aspiration of those that would identify themselves as followers of the way of Jesus, yet I find in myself that it is not always my first thought. It is easy to skip past these, the most fundamental commands, and move to more “practical” or “relevant” topics. It is for this reason that I believe that the Christian Living section in a “Christian” bookstore is the most popular. We’d like to find an easier “way” to obey these commands, rather than biting down on the essence of what they are actually asking of us. All of that being said, verse 31 has been like a resounding gong in my brain as of late. I truly want to love my neighbor as myself, in as many ways as I can. Not only spiritually and emotionally but physically and financially, as well. My desire is that the expression of my heart would gravitate toward this thinking in everything that I do. I once read that if we truly desire to embody this verse that we should aspire toward a lifestyle that shows awareness of others that is equal to that which you show yourself. Your desire for entertainment, money, food, etc. should be reflected in equal concern for others having those same things. It’s like something about this premise sings a song deep within me and I can’t get the melody out of my mind. This is why I feel the need to start writing; to help me move toward a “fifty percent life“. I don’t know what this looks like practically. There aren’t any specific steps that I am taking to achieve this other than obedience to walk toward an awareness of this command in my life. This blog provides a venue for me to scribe my thoughts and desires as the Lord guides and I wrestle with the truths He shows me. It also allows for me to hear the thoughts of others as they reckon with the same principles.
Like many others, I desire for the words that I share to have purpose and meaning while, at the same time, remaining transparent and genuine in my communication. I want to journey toward a rich and fulfilling relationship with Christ and with my neighbors. If you’d like, you’re more than welcome to join me.
