answered prayer....

Do you ever find yourself asking God things, but not REALLY expecting Him do it. For example, I've been praying for God to cause His word to come alive in my heart, for the grace to actually live out His word in my life. And then I'm surprised when I find myself in situations where i have a decision to make....choosing God's way, the way of love, or my own, the way of selfishness. You'd think I'd learn that praying really does cause things to happen.

See if you can relate to this....so you're going about your day, then all of a sudden, something happens that triggers some really strong emotions, like anger, jealousy, bitterness, fear, ect - its quite easy to let those emotions take over, or maybe you've learned to dig a hole and hide them. But for those that are seeking God's way of life, we stand at the crossroads of a decision - "part of me feels totally justified in being angry at this person who has wronged me....but i know there is another way. There is the way of mercy, and I know in my head that it triumphs over judgment because the bible says so. But how do i really believe that....so much that it changes my emotions deep inside? I want to REALLY see God's word come alive in my heart.

In this moment, if you just take time to listen, you will hear the voice of our creator speaking quietly in our ear..."My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Come to me and lay down your burdens at my feet. Come take a walk with me."

Satan will do whatever he can to convince us that this is our battle, and we most somehow find the strength to win. There is another way...it looks like opening up our heart to our creator, and allowing HIM to speak to our fears and hurts. When anger, fear, bitterness, ect springs up, God is really good at showing us the root cause of these emotions. Allow Him to take you by the hand, and He will speak truth into the lies, acceptance into the rejection, love into places of abandonment. Let God's love take its course...don't try to come up with someway you can deserve it. We don't. But the lover of our souls says we're worth pursuing despite our sin and brokenness.

You want to see God's Kingdom come in your life?
I think a simple way to see this is to pay attention to your emotions, and anything that is contrary to God's Kingdom, ask God why this is happening, what's the root, and ask Him to change your heart in line with His.

Reflections from the National Marriage Summit

It’s been awhile since my last blog…but I need to catch you up on something really significant that happened two weeks…first for me, but also I believe for the betterment of our nation. Dec. 3-4, I had the privilege of attending the once-a-year National Marriage Summit…and no I’m not married yet. So what was a young guy like me doing there? Good question. Well, to start, my dad happens to be the chairman of the Marriage CoMission, a ministry that helps network many of the marriage and family champions across America from all sectors of society. This CoMission organizes a one-a-year Summit, inviting 200 or so of today’s key marriage and family leader for 3 days of working together. This year, my dad invited United Pursuit Band to come and lead worship for the morning devotional time, but also take part in the actual meetings.

Wow. That’s a good way to sum up the 3 days. I experience such synergy and collaboration as so many amazing visionary leaders spent the 3 days making what I would call a battle plan to see marriage and family values restored to our nation. Every single person at the summit is involved in some active way in fighting for marriage and family, whether in Hollywood fighting for movies with strong values, authors, conference speakers, business leaders, ect. But the beautiful part in the whole week was seeing all these leaders come together, and how the Body of Christ is SO much stronger when we come together.

Since my time at the Summit, I’ve been doing lots of thinking. Those 3 days really stirred up so much inside me. I’m starting to see how the foundation of our nation was built on God, and directly downstream is the covenant of marriage leading to strong families, strong families leading to strong generations. I can’t speak for all of my generation, but I know that so many young people today have totally lost the vision for a strong marriage. They haven’t seen it, so why would they believe in something that they’ve only seen fail?

“Without vision, the people parish.” In many ways, I believe our nation has lots its vision for marriage. Without strong marriages, our nations will cease to be what makes America “America”, because marriage is the foundation which flows life and love. When children are born out of the covenant of marriage, they immediately have something that us humans crave…unconditional love. Notice how I said covenant…not “institution” – Covenant births unconditional love. The Institution of marriage is a counterfeit to the real thing; a false document that promises everything but insures nothing. I see the marriage covenant can be summed up like this, “I promise to love you as long as I live, even when you fail me the most, when you disappoint me, when you betray me.” I’m starting to see that covenant love has factored in betrayal. Covenant love isn’t “me,me,me”, its being a gift to your spouse, and even bigger; your passing on a heritage to your children, and there children, and beyond. This covenant love is the fertilizer of life, hope, and happiness. When children are born into this kind of love, they can fully live out their destiny.

Right now, I feel the prevailing wind of brokenness sweeping our nation…year after year of seeing marriage after marriage fail and why would anyone want to be join the list? If the next generation looses the vision for a strong, healthy marriage and family, then all our brokenness will only worsen. We look instead to our government to solve our problems. We long for hope and change, but I believe that unless we start with ourselves and foundation of what our whole nation is build upon, than nothing will change.

BUT, there is hope. We serve a God of restoration. He is really good at taking all our bad decisions, and turning them into something beautiful. Two weeks ago, I got another glimpse of hope for our nation concerning marriage and family. I saw the Church come together, not just church leader to church leader, but the diverse, multi-talented, beautiful, bride of Christ spread out in all facets of society…and I know God was smiling down from Heaven. His presence permeated the meeting room the whole 3 days. God has invited us to dream with Him, and see His Kingdom come into the broken places of this world. And I know that looks like seeing marriages restored. It looks like children being raised in loving homes. And I know that I know that I’m going to be apart of this…what about you?

This is part one to an ongoing dialog I want to start about marriage and family from the perspective of a young person yet to be married. Keep an eye out for my next blog in the next week. Blessings!

judged by the sun's rays

Lately, I've been reading the book of Philippians. Its real short, so I've been reading it everyday for the past 5 days. God's really speaking through it, so I thought I might share a few things that I've never seen before.

What so cool about the bible, is that as time goes on, you get new "lenses" to look through as you read the bible; things that you've never seen before JUMP out of the page. Often times life experiences go a long way to shaping these lenses. Lately, the "lens" of love has been jumping out of the page. I went and saw Heidi Baker speak this past Sunday, and I'm reminded of the simplicity of the gospel: loving God, and from the place of intimacy and friendship with Him, loving others...simply overflowing with His love. Love looks like something. Love has teeth.

Here's some of the background of Paul's letter to the saints in Phillipi:

One of the things Paul was confronting in this letter mindset that you have to work for righteousness. People were believing in Jesus, but still living in the law, meaning they were "doing stuff" to try to get God's acceptance. Paul called these leaders, people who lead others into the law again "dogs" - beware of them.

Paul contrasts these "dogs" with his heart's cry-
"that I might be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that is through faith in Christ." He said they preach the gospel out of strife. He also wrote this letter, because there was division creeping in the church, and he wanted people to be of one mind...the mind of Christ. And with the lens of love, Christ's mind is love...radical, turn-the-world-up-side-down love.

Ok, with that background, here's the verse I was mediating on: this is Paul's prayer for the saints at Phillipi, so its a good prayer:)

"And this I pray: that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the WHICH ARE fruits of righteousness WHICH ARE BY JESUS CHRIST, to the glory and praise of God."


Key word:
"Abound" - be in excess, superfluous, abundance.

Ok, so here are my thoughts. This isn't THE interpretation of this verse...this is just what hit my heart when was mediating on these verses.

What does it meant to abound in love in knowledge and discernment.? I was thinking about Jesus, and how He knows everything about me. You could say He has full knowledge of me...all my weaknesses, the secrets of my heart. Even with all that knowledge, He loves me!! His love is abundant towards me!!! So when Paul is praying that our love with abound in knowledge and discernment, i think it can mean that even when we see weaknesses in people, people's crap, when they hurt us, when they don't return our love....when we have this "knowledge and discernment of people.......AND WE STILL LOVE!! In fact, our love abounds all the more! Discernment is so important, but If i see pain and weakness and sin in people, and this discernment pushes me away from them, then I'm NOT abounding in love. I'm instead judging.

If I'm to approve the things that are excellent, then the most excellent thing is love. Paul says its the most excellent way. God is love....if this love fills me, then I WILL BE SINCERE - the word sincere means" judged by the sunlight." how cool is that!! - if i am filled with love, i will be filled with sunlight...it will pour into my life, and darkness must flee.

Being filled with love keeps us from holding offense. Offense simply means choosing to withhold love. So abounding in love causes us to radiate with light, and to live un-offended. The fruits of righteousness will overflow in my life if I'm abounding in love. This righteousness comes from Christ. Not by works.

When Jesus walked the earth, people around Him felt totally safe and accepted, and yet the found the power to change: the lady caught in adultery, the women at the well, Zacheous...ect. Love has so much power, because it fully accepts, and yet people find power to change. It never condemns. It empowers. Love says, "there's a kingdom of light...a place of freedom. Come with me. I'll walk with you side-by-side. There's the ocean of mercy that never ends...come with me and I'll show you. I won't leave you alone."

Jesus doesn't walk the earth anymore in the physical. BUT we do. We're the body of Christ. We're His hands and feet. It the most amazing story....in our rebellion, God saves a people, and this people becomes transformed into a new person, a glorious bride that proclaims the love of our bridgegroom. We walk the earth. We are filled with His love. We shout from the rooftops the power of the cross. We proclaim the blood of Christ. Our righteousness isn't of ours....the power of the law is destroyed. this is life. this is what the world is waiting to see. you in?

poison ivy's wisdom

so my whole body is covered in poison ivy. This pretty much sucks. But its also kinda funny in a way. My skin has transformed from normal, healthy skin, to nasty, pink splotchy skin.

So i rented this movie yesterday....called the "notebook" - i know, everyone's seen it already, but i haven't. So i watched this chick-flic alone in all its glory. I was having a pity party for my poison ivy condition, and what perfect time to watch a chick-flic.

Admist the sappyness and Hollywood romance, I had this thought. True love is when my wife will love me, even when my body is covered in poision ivy, nasty pink splotches and all. When I watched the notebook, what stirred deepest isn't the desire to have a "Hollywood romance," you know the perfect romantic moments, the passionate makeup kiss, BUT to be totally accepted, even with all the junk in me. For someone to know everything about me, all my weakness, and to say, "yes, I still wanna spend my life with you." that's what I'm most excited about. Hollywood is fun to watch, but my bet is on that the kinda love I'm seeking will never fade. Right now, God is still showing me what my future wife is like, but i'm so excited for the day that I met her, whoever she is, so excited for the day that love becomes a choice, to totally choose someone to love, full acceptance.... So, you know what, poison ivy is teaching me something. haha. glory to God:) just come take this way ASAP!!!