Leave The Elementary And Go On To Maturity

Posted by admin in Growth, Purpose on March 9, 2010

“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.” (Heb. 6:1-3)

Since Feb. 22nd I’ve been writing about the basics — the “elementary teachings” that St. Paul talked about in Hebrews 6. So let’s move on. What does Christian maturity look like? I asked my wife and her response was “fruitful.” As mature Christians, we should “bear fruit.” (I guess it doesn’t look like retired men playing golf in a gated community?)

Does that mean we’re supposed to be a fruit tree, standing around, doing nothing but letting fruit hang from us? Sounds pretty boring. Rain or shine, going through an annual cycle: Spring flowers turn into fruit; the fruit grows and matures until it’s harvested in the fall; pruning in the winter; and then the process starts all over again.

That’s not what I want my life to look like. And based on the drama throughout the Bible, God didn’t intend for us to live a boring life as a tree. Don’t get me wrong. I know He’s serious about our producing fruit. But I believe His intentions are for us to be farmers who produce much more than what one tree could… In the Garden of Eden He told Adam to be fruitful and multiply — to take dominion over His creation. So what does a mature, fruit-bearing Christian farmer look like?

Bountiful Harvest
The life of a Christian farmer will produce various kinds of fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”  (Gal. 5:22-26)

When we kill our sinful habits and live by the Spirit, we become winsome, like Christ, and attract others to the Father. When we’re filled with peace and joy, and demonstrate kindness, goodness and patience toward others, we’re loving them. When we’re faithful, gentle, forgiving, and exercising self control, we’re loving others. This is how mature Christians “keep in step” with the Holy Spirit.

In addition, those who are successful in ministry should not be conceited. And those who are not as effective as they would like to be, should not put down or envy those who have a thriving ministry. Here’s what Timothy heard from his mentor:

Teach and Endure
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs — he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.”  (II Tim. 2:1-7)

The purpose for all this fruit-bearing is to bless others — those who need love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and mercy. This includes believers and non-believers. As Christian farmers, we need to be sure we prune ourselves and those we mentor so that the fruit is low-hanging and accessible. When we do, others will flock to us like they did Jesus.

Farm Equipment
Farmers need seed, of course, to produce fruit-bearing plants. Our seed is the Word of God. Without the Word, we will not produce spiritual fruit. And just as a farmer needs a tractor, fertilizer, insecticide, and harvesters, we need spiritual tools to produce an abundant harvest. Thankfully, God provides our tools as gifts when we ask for and seek them:

“And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tonguesF3? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.” (I Cor. 12:28-31)

Miracle Grow
Our miracle fertilizer is love, empowered by God. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (I Cor. 13:1-3)

“Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. … Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying. … Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.” (I Cor. 14:1,5,20,39-40)

Mature Mentors
As we walk in the Spirit, fully equipped and winsome, He showers His gifts and talents on us so we can impart them to others to help them mature. As St. Paul said, “It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-13)

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Risking Faith and Exercising Prudence

Posted by admin in Growth, Guidance, Purpose on February 18, 2010

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions. – Prov. 18:1

The verse above really stood out this morning when I read it. It made me go to God again before I wrote my observations about Pastor Andy Stanley’s The Principle of the Path.

I don’t want to be “a fool … who delights in airing his own opinions.” And Lord knows I could be all wrong. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. So be prayerful as you read what I’ve written below. My intentions are not to be critical or disagreeable. But after reading Andy’s book yesterday, I have to admit I was disappointed.

In a nutshell, I don’t think he said all he needed to say about the principle of the path.

Feeling Lost
Some of us are in places we don’t want to be. We thought we were obediently exercising faith, doing what God asked us to do. But the outcome doesn’t look anything like what we expected. So in the first four chapters of his book, when Andy asks, “Didn’t you see this coming?” many of us honestly answer, “No, I didn’t.”

There are times, of course, when all of us take the wrong path (some of us much more than others). And in those cases, Andy’s response is appropriate for us: “You should have seen this coming. And what you couldn’t see coming you should have been prepared for.”

But many people today need a more compassionate response. What should we say to the millions of hard-working people who faithfully served a company, but are now unemployed? I’ve heard that our nation’s real unemployment rate is close to 20 percent, and more than 3 million jobs have been lost in the past year. I’ve watched my sons from a distance as they were forced to take cuts in pay and lay off workers at each of their companies. I read reports of thousands of car dealers who ran profitable businesses for decades, only to be shut down by the manufacturers. Plus, these dealers laid off 300,000 employees from their dealerships across the country. Here in Wilmington, a successful Christian owner of a large dealership committed suicide.

Last Words
The final chapter of Andy Stanley’s book, The Principle of the Path, is entitled “Road Closed.” He starts the last chapter with these words:

“The subtitle of this book implies that there is always a way to get from where you are to where you want to be. But we both know that that’s not always the case. …Time, bad decisions, and experience put some destinations out of reach. There are dreams that can’t come true.”

Then he says, “I want to answer the question, What do you do with the dreams that can’t come true?”

Andy’s answer, and the final words in the last chapter of his book are, “You pray, not my will, but yours be done. And then you rest in the fact that you have done all you can … and all you should.”

I’m sure Andy didn’t mean that we should just give up and throw in the towel. But I wish he had better demonstrated the hope that we have in this life as we walk with the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

I totally agree that it would be much better to avoid wrong turns, shortcuts to nowhere, and dead ends. (He quoted Proverbs 27:12, “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.”) And Andy accurately makes the case that we should avoid problems by looking ahead, and turn around quickly when we discover we’re lost. But I think he could have better demonstrated the hope we have when we are not where we want to be, or think our dreams will never come true.

Dead End vs. Detour
When we make mistakes, get off the path, and find ourselves where we don’t want to be, that’s not the end. Never. Not even for those who are dying of cancer or who have lost their jobs and everything else that is important to them. We may not be where we expected or hoped, but I believe that is because God is showing us a new path so we can end up in an even better place — both here and in the afterlife.

Eternity with God is our greatest hope. But there is also one example after another in scripture that here in this life God provides new paths when we reach the end of one.

When Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours be done,” those weren’t his last words. The dream wasn’t over. It wasn’t the end of the story. Not by a long shot. He didn’t throw up his hands and say, “Oh well, I gave it my best shot.” He went on to heroically redeem the world! He courageously suffered, demonstrated His love for us, hung naked on the cross and died for our sins. Then He was raised from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and was given all authority in heaven and on earth.

I’d say He reached His dream, even when it looked like there was no hope. (He died trying to reach it!)

In fact, that was the beginning of a whole new story. Read the book of Acts. Jesus traveled a rough path to end up at His coronation ceremony as a demonstration for us. That is our path. An exciting journey, full of twists and turns, mountain tops and valleys, battles, victories and defeats.

Jesus couldn’t take a shortcut to reach His dream, and neither can we. But this is no time to give up and throw it all away. We’re closer than ever to reaching it. So keep working toward your dream. Do as Andy said and focus on the right things. And do the right things. Because eventually you’ll end up where you want, even if you didn’t know it was the right place.

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Do What You Love. You’ll Do It Best.

Posted by admin in Guidance, Purpose on January 25, 2010

Do What You Love
About 25 years ago I interviewed a dozen Christian leaders for a story I was writing. During the interview I asked each of them to tell me the best advice they ever received.

The response that stood out above all others—and the one I can easily remember without digging out the article and re-reading it—came from Tom McCabe, founder of KMA in Dallas, Texas. He said…

          “Do what you love, because that’s what you’ll do best.”

One of the people I have admired  and enjoyed watching over the years while he did what he loves most is Scott Dimock. Scott has been helping kids—lots of kids—most of his life.

I first heard about Scott when he was a Young Life leader at Annandale (Va.) High School. I met him later when he was the area director for Young Life in Northern Virginia. (I spent a year working with several others to start a Young Life group at W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia.)

Scott left Young Life some time ago and co-founded the Southeast White House. The Southeast White House mentors and supports kids in a “forgotten quadrant” of Washington, DC, just a short drive from the other White House, according to a statement on their web site. The area has a limited number of social services where “the median income is $17,000 per year, 22% of the population live in public housing …  and 77% of the children live in single-parent families.”

SEWH is hosted by a staff of volunteers who serve those who come to the house in need of lifestyle changes, jobs, fellowship, volunteer opportunities, friendship, and love. It is a place of reconciliation—an environment where urban and suburban, rich and poor, black and white, and young and old can come together.

You’ll Do It Best
The Project on Lived Theology based in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia says that Scott and his team have truly found what they “do best.” Here’s an excerpt from the UVA report:

“To an unaccustomed outsider, the sight of poverty, restlessness and decay is frightening. Abandoned shops, Checks Cashed Here stations, and liquor stores serve as welcome signs to this ghetto of sorts. Directly off the avenue, upon a hill, stands the enigmatic inner-city community ministry, the Southeast White House, a historic turn of the century manor home dubbed by the neighbors the ‘Little White House’ because of its similar architecture and placement on the other Pennsylvania Avenue.”

In addition to their other services, the staff and volunteers hold biweekly gatherings at the Southeast White House ”on Mondays deemed the Reconciliation Luncheon and Wednesdays called the Family Luncheon, identical to each other in form and content. The guests, some here for the first time and others regular attendees, mingle in the parlor, kitchen, or living room. When lunch is served they abandon the off-white outer rooms for the brightly colored dining room… The table is set for a feast: fine china, lit candles, fresh flowers, and cloth napkins. Introductions and answers to an innocuous get-to-know-you question weave around the table following the prayer. The three-course meal has begun.

“The house is unique in that it brings individuals within the community together as well as uniting those from outside with the neighborhood. Moreover, those at the luncheon lack pretense. The luncheon does not only foster individual dignity, it also bolsters that of the community. When guests from outside of the neighborhood—Congressmen and their wives, influential businessmen and women, dignitaries of other countries, professional athletes, even the average suburbanite—come to the Southeast White House for a meal, they raise the neighborhood’s status in the eyes of the broader society.

“When the SEWH was first purchased, it was the most decrepit building in the neighborhood, and there was no financial base from which to draw for restoration, necessitating that the staff wait for resources. Volunteer church groups from all over the nation came for work projects, sharing home repair skills and supplies. The neighbors quickly recognized that the SEWH lacked wealth; rather, they “lived by faith,” or by unpredictable month to month donations. All that the house contains—including the luncheon food—as well as the means for its restoration, are gifts from individuals nationwide who want to serve the poor in the nation’s capitol and who believe in the SEWH’s mission.”

 Well Done
In essence, Scott and the Southeast White House team combine the Great Commandment to love God and your neighbor, with what they love to do—mentor kids. As a result, they do it very well.

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

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Resolved … Have Wheels, Will Travel

Posted by admin in More About Us, Purpose on January 6, 2010

My wife asked me the other day what my Leadership Inspiration blog is all about. She wanted to understand the purpose behind it. This turned out to be a good exercise for me… she helped me to focus on the what, why, and how… and the more we talked, the more excited I got. Here’s what I came up with:

Purpose
The purpose of Leadership Inspiration is to encourage, comfort, and strengthen others by providing stories of perseverance and faith, quotations, and interviews of leaders in business, government, ministry, and the military.

Now it’s time to find some good material. All I need to decide is which mode of transportation will be more comfortable. Somehow, Global Warming and Climate Change are creating record-setting cold temperatures and snow across the nation and around the world.

So the question is, do I take the convertible…

…or the motorcycle I affectionately call my Pack Mule?

You might be asking the same question I have: Why not just stay warm, search the Internet to find some content, and get permission to republish it?  Answer: I’d like to find some new and interesting stories about leaders who are living their dream and fulfilling their life’s purpose. I’d like to learn from their insight and wisdom, and share it through Leadership Inspiration. I know my method seems a bit unorthodox, for an old coot like me, but I’m going for it.

Unorthodox
You’ve heard that God works through unusual ways, right? He spoke — literally — to Balaam through his donkey. He used a burning bush to capture Moses’ attention. He protected the Israelites by splattering blood on their doorposts. He parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River for the Israelites. He protected Daniel all night from the lions, and the next morning He let the lions consume the king’s guards. He used a tornado to take Elijah up to heaven. He chose a virgin peasant girl to enter our world, and He slept in an animal trough in a barn because the hotels were booked. He had John the baptist wear camel hair and eat locusts. Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine. He walked on water. He spit in some dirt to make mud and then used it to heal the sick. He cast out demons, raised the dead, upset religious leaders, and on and on… He must have seemed pretty unorthodox to the orthodox.

Press On
In light of all that, this little adventure doesn’t seem like much, does it? And it’s definitely not too hard for the Maker of the Universe. Then again, I could stay home and warm, and not risk anything. Nah… I’d rather try to “make some history” and see if I can “finish strong,” as Pastor Phil suggested.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.     – Philippians 3:12-14

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Be not fearful or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.     – Joshua 1:9

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Maybe Someday I’ll Recognize the Deceiver

Posted by admin in Purpose on January 5, 2010

I woke up at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning and laid in bed for a long time. I tossed and turned, and couldn’t fall back to sleep, so I got up.

I should have gotten the Book and started reading. But no, Stupid Here started piddling around, wasting time, and never went back to sleep. By the time I needed to shower for church, I was so tired I felt sick.

Did I get the hint? Nope. I should have known something good was coming and taken a stand against the attack so I wouldn’t miss out. Instead, I went to sleep and skipped church.

Thankfully, my better half went to the service. She came home afterward and told me what I missed: great worship, and a very inspiring message by Pastor Phil Ortego. Here’s a short video clip intro to his new series: Resolved.

When you have a little time, please watch his full sermon. It will boost your faith and inspire you for this new year. Simply click here or on the graphic below:

Be Resolved to Press On
Let’s “live to be history makers… who change lives,” as Pastor Phil says. Let’s “press on… maintain our spiritual momentum… focus… and finish strong” in this new year.

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Let’s Live Worthy in 2010, and Leave a Legacy

Posted by admin in Purpose on January 1, 2010

My wife and I don’t do much to celebrate New Year’s Eve. This year wasn’t any different, except that I felt melancholy. About mid-day on Dec. 31, 2009, I was told that a friend had passed away.

Many years ago, Ed Natt had served as my personal and corporate attorney. My wife and I also met weekly with Ed and his wife, along with several other couples, in a small  group from our church. Needless to say, we became good friends. Along with many others, I will miss him.

This morning when my wife finished her devotions, she brought one of her readings to me so I could read it. (I am still amazed by the ways God uses her to help me see Him in our daily lives.) After you read Ed’s obituary, take a look at these scripture passages from Daily Light for January 1…

I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.

Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.

God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.
- Daily Light, New Living Bible, Tyndale House Publishers
(I Thess. 2:12, Phil. 3:13-14, I Cor. 9:24-25, Heb. 12:1-2, Phil. 1:6)

How about it?
Let’s believe God in 2010. With His help, let’s strip off what slows us down and make this year part of our legacy.

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Shovel-Ready Stimulus Not Trickling-Down to You?

Posted by admin in Purpose on December 27, 2009

The trillions of dollars in bank-bailouts, shovel-ready-stimulus-projects and cash-for-clunkers hasn’t been affecting a lot of our bank accounts. It eventually will, of course. Many of us won’t receive it, but we’ll definitely help pay for it.

When I traveled a few weeks ago on my motorcycle I saw consctuction workers laying asphalt in each state. It made me wonder what the impact would be in each community by a handful of hard-working men and women.

I hope, of course, that we will see a significant return on our investment. Like everyone, I want the economy to turn around. I want the federal government’s massive ”borrow-and-spend, tax-later” policy to have a positive, long-term effect. But I have a nagging feeling. The decisions and actions by our leaders seem a lot like what’s been done before — what got us into this economic trouble – except now we’re doing it on a much larger scale than ever before, so we could easily see much worse consequences than ever before.

Then what?
When the results of all this economic irresponsibility come home to roost, how will we fix it? If our economy is much more broken than the mess we’re currently trying to repair, what will we do as a nation? If other countries stop lending us money and won’t buy our most stable securities, and our government has taxed us beyond our tolerance level, where will leaders get the money they need to cover their spending addiction?

You’re right. They’ll print it. Lots of it. A repeat of the economic problems in Germany before World War II.

What will that look like?
Suppose for a minute that Christians intentionally practice Matthew 6:33 and “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” and they are blessed with contentment and financial resources — and become envied by others. Could Christians be hated by the masses like Jews were in Germany during the late 1930s and early 1940s?

Think for a moment how the media — and many political leaders — treated one woman of faith: Sarah Palin. What bothered them so much that they would direct such ignorant, biased, verbal attacks on her and her family?

Prejudice.
While our nation has been working hard to eliminate racial bias, we are replacing it with religious prejudice. We are tolerating all sorts of activities, behaviors, and beliefs – except for those of Christians.

As this New Year and New Decade approach, we face many uncertainties. I hope Christian leaders in govenment, education, business, and at home will make a resolution to follow Jesus like never before. Believe Him. Trust His words and act on them. Know in their hearts that He will reward those who diligently seek Him.

Here’s my New Year’s resolution for 2010: Stop worrying, and believe Him.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”     – Matthew 6:25-33

What’s your resolution?

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Hopes Torn Apart, Dreams Turned to Shame

Posted by admin in Purpose on December 10, 2009

Over a year ago I tried to launch a local business magazine. I failed. Lord knows it wasn’t the first failure in my life. But that didn’t make it much easier.

Of course I agreed with friends and peers who said the economy was to blame. Even my employees were kind when I let them go. But I couldn’t kid myself. I knew I had failed. The plan was flawed. And my timing was terrible.

Soon after I announced early last fall that I was launching this new magazine, I watched the economy drop through the floor. Established local businesses folded, one after another. Car dealerships closed their doors. Restaurants shut down. Builders stopped construction. Leaders laid off employees, and everyone wondered if and when things would turn around.

For a good part of a year I met with about a dozen other business owners each month and listened to them talk about the hard times they were going through. I watched a gentleman during one of our meetings try to hide the tears that filled his eyes as he described his desperate situation. After many years of business success, he simply didn’t have a solution for his dilemma. And his story was echoed with similar stories by other leaders in the room.

Most of these business owners were younger than I am, so I tried to encourage them. I told them our nation had been through many recessions before, and I had lived through several. I spoke optimistically about my new venture, boldly trusting God was in the midst of it, and success was going to come… for all of us… the economy was going to turn around… But it didn’t.

For some of us the experiences over the past year were  new. Regardless, most of us would like to forget these lessons and move on. But there was one experience that I want to hold on to — a powerful story of second chances by a special lady. Her name is Susan Boyle.

I know you’ve heard her story. But did you understand the words to the song she sang that first night on Britain’s Got Talent? While you watch the original event again, take a moment to read what she chose to sing:

       I dreamed a dream in time gone by,
       When hope was high and life worth living.
       I dreamed that love would never die,
       I dreamed that God would be forgiving.
       Then I was young and unafraid,
       When dreams were made and used and wasted.
       There was no ransom to be paid,
       No song unsung, no wine untasted.

       But the tigers come at night,
       With their voices soft as thunder,
       As they tear your hopes apart,
       As they turn your dream to shame.

       And still I dream He’ll come to me,
       That we will live our lives together,
       But there are dreams that cannot be,
       And there are storms we cannot weather!

       I had a dream my life would be
       So different from this hell I’m living,
       So different now from what it seemed…
       Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

Sounds pretty depressing doesn’t it? “Dreams that cannot be… storms we cannot weather… this hell I’m living… life has killed the dream….”

I wonder how many people feel this way right now. How many could sing that song with tears in their eyes… Laid-off workers, owners of failed businesses, contractors, salespeople — men and women who have successfully done the same thing for years — but now are out of work and wondering what lies ahead.

I don’t have a magic answer. But when my wife repeated Romans 15:13 to me after I folded my business and was feeling down one day, it totally changed my outlook:

       Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
       that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our God is the God of hope. He can fill us with all joy and peace. And when He does, you will abound in hope.

So that’s my prayer for you: that God will fill you with joy and peace throughout this holiday season, and as a result, your hope will abound for the new year. And I pray that you won’t listen to those “voices” in the night that “tear your hope apart … and turn your dream to shame.”

Oh, and if it’s any encouragement, that 48-year-old unemployed charity worker (and dreamer), Susan Boyle, recently released a new CD. Last I heard it had sold over 700,000 copies in the first two weeks. And it set a record for best-selling debut album in England and the most pre-ordered CD ever on Amazon.com.

So keep on dreaming. A new year is coming. And God will be with you through it.

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Dramatic Growth Follows Passionate Purpose

Posted by admin in Purpose on November 10, 2009

People searched for the word “purpose” more than 4 million times in the past month, according to Google’s keyword research. They searched for “meaning” over 11 million times in the past month. The word “careers” was looked up over 20 million times. Here are some additional searches in the past month based on Google’s data… “Money” – 45 million…  “Power” – 55 million…  “Sex” - (data not available).

It’s obvious people long for purpose and meaning in their lives. But as the stats above indicate, they often look for it in the wrong places.

So how do you get ”purpose” that you can be passionate about? And once you find it, how do you maintain the passion over the long haul?

During the Jesus movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many young people found a whole new reason for living. They were passionate about their faith in Jesus Christ. Their beliefs were so strong, they couldn’t help but show. Their actions revealed what they believed, and their enthusiasm was infectious. As a result, millions of others followed Jesus Christ.

Many business leaders and politicians work long and hard to develop a large following of tenacious, loyal, hard-workers like the Jesus people. But the Jesus movement grew phenominally without offering any of the typical rewards. No money. No influence. And no sex. It was something else.

They each experienced God. He reached out to us individually in a unique way. We responded. And He kept reaching out to us, until we got distracted or complacent — or both.

A couple of our distractions should have been obvious to us. They were the same things offered to Jesus when He first started His ministry: money and power. But instead of overcoming temptation with scripture like Jesus did, we failed miserably. We started “keeping up with the Jones” and acquiring things. Some of us failed morally. Others created a new hierarchy by putting ourselves in positions of leadership and dominating others with new methods and rules. And some did all of the above.

Thankfully the One who gives us ultimate purpose hasn’t changed. He’s still waiting with His hand outstretched. He’s still willing to reveal Himself and bless each of us. But if we want all He has to offer, I’m convinced we’ll need to seek Him with all of our hearts. Lukewarm won’t cut it. He wants to shower His goodness on us, like a loving Father. But He expects us to be passionate about our purpose. We need to give Him all we’ve got.


Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.     – John 14:21

So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.     – Rev. 3:16

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