Seeds of the heart

 

Recently I was out enjoying the beautiful day and ran across a dead tree. What caught my eye was not only the tree, but also the cottonwood seeds being blown by the wind. Together with the dead tree in the background, it created a beautiful picture of life and death. The tree representing death and the seeds representing birth or new life. I imagined that this tree was once magnificent strong and beautiful amidst the other trees in the forest. Even though it had long-since died, it did not stop new life from happening every day. The seeds were being blown all over the forest to grow and become trees themselves. This tree was now merely a backdrop to the demonstration of life and death.

Stop for a second and imagine Jesus hanging on an old dead tree, noticing all the people watching him die. Like the seeds and the tree, He knew that life was not stopping even though His was at that moment. That His death would be the beginning for new life. Jesus could see both life and death in the same moment! In the crowd that day stood John, His disciple, and he knew that through John the seeds of life would be planted in men and women’s hearts everywhere. That after His resurrection all of His disciples would plant seeds of life in people’s hearts. A dead tree would be a catalyst for new life!

Often we go about our day, living our lives, missing opportunities to be seed planters. People we see everyday are like that dead tree, all around them life is happening but they feel dead inside. Yet we get so caught up with ourselves we can’t see past our own noses. We were made to plant seeds of hope in the hearts of others! Don’t waste what Jesus did for you on that dead tree!

Open it Up

John 19:25-27

Read a little More

John 19

Ask God first

2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” (Nehemiah 2:2-5)

I love this because Nehemiah states that he is afraid.  He knew what it was that he wanted to ask the king but such a large request, with a man that could easily end his life, Nehemiah was understandably afraid!  Notice though that Nehemiah prays before answering the king.  In the midst of the intensity of the situation He prays to God.  We don’t know what he prayed but it was probably along the lines of “God give me strength cause this is crazy!”  Nehemiah was bold and courageous because he knew what needed to be done in order to save Jerusalem, yet Nehemiah knew where His courage comes from and who was in control.

What I have learned from this is that I should do absolutely nothing without God.  That my life should always be a conversation with Him and any decisions need to start and end with God.  That even if I am afraid I am to follow through, because I have confidence that I have placed God first and that He is going before me.  To often I try and do it without God or ask Him to come in at bless it after I have already done everything!  God needs to be first in all of my undertakings and not last. Even if that is a simple prayer before asking a King for permission to build a wall!

Read a little more

Nehemiah 2

My failure my friend

About 10 years ago I was driving a van up to a camp in Colorado.  In the van were about 10 college age students, myself and another young adult man.  We were heading up to a camp to get the camp ready for the summer.  This particular trip I did one of the top five stupidest things I have ever done, I drove the van up a runaway truck ramp.  Not because I had to, but because I wanted to.  So with everyone in the van screaming I hit the ramp exceeding the speed limit and made it nearly to the top of the ramp!  Now we did get the van off of the ramp made it to the camp and I thought all was well.  Except that the story finally leaked out and it was decided that working for the ministry was not the best option right now.   That is the very short version of the story but the point is that I failed miserably with responsibility that was placed on my shoulders.  I could have gotten us all seriously hurt or worse killed.  For years I languished over the guilt I felt about the incident and even though I would eventually be allowed back on staff it was something that was a huge embarrassment for me.

This had been a terrible lack of judgement in my past and I was allowing it to dictate my future. In fact I was allowing a lot of my failures to define me!  I decided that I was not going to allow them to define me any longer!  I took the experiences and now use them as a teaching tool, telling others what not to do and hopefully sparing them some grief.  I have done so many stupid things in my past and have hurt others because of my choices.  In all of the cases it has meant me asking for forgiveness whether it is given or not.   It does not mean that I don’t live with the consequences of my actions, I just know that I am a new creation in Christ and that in order to move forward and serve Him I cannot be controlled by my past.

I meet so many people who are harassed by mistakes that they have made in their past and they allow what they were like to hold them back from what they are meant to be!  Trust me you were not meant to live a life of regrets but a life of fulfillment in Christ.  Embrace your failures as a friend because you are better for each of them.  I have sought forgiveness and dealt with what I was like and I am determined to not continue to dwell on them, have you?  You can do so many things through Christ who gives strength.  Through weakness He has provided His strength and His hand is constantly helping you back up.  Quit allowing who you were to effect what you will be, you have so much to become!

Open it Up

John 18:15-27

Read a little more

John 21:15-25

 

 

Simply God’s will

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thess. 5:16-18

God’s will for each of our lives is something that alot of us struggle through out our life to find.  That thought of whether or not we are abiding in His will, the questions and doubts that it brings etc.  I am no different than anyone else when it comes to having had difficulty seeking God’s His will for me.  Reading this verse  it reminds me that maybe it really is not that hard.  That rejoicing always, praying continually and giving thanks in all things is all someone needs to do.  To often in my life I make it about me and how God’s will is going to effect my life.  The hard truth is that it is never about me it is always and only about God.  When you start shifting your perspective to see it that way His will becomes so much easier to find!

Open it Up

Micah 6:8

Read a Little More

Romans 12

I got it all together

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

Phil. 2:12-13

For me, it is so easy to present to the world that I have it all together. I realize this more as I write this blog.; it is tempting to present a flawless image of myself. I also do this in how I present myself as a father, in my ministry, as a husband, in almost every aspect of my life. Yet I know the truth in my heart. I know that I am conceited, selfish, arrogant, prideful, deceiving, lustful…the list goes on and on.

To be honest, I often feel inadequate communicating Christ to others because of how ugly I can be. The worst is when you are about to go have coffee with a guy and instruct him in growing in his faith and not 30 minutes before you had an argument with your wife or were yelling at your kids. Yet, you walk into the restaurant, Bible app open on your phone, smiling and Loving Jesus! On the outside you look calm and steady, but inside you are anything but.

The question is how am I supposed to represent Christ to someone when I don’t have it all together? The answer is that I will never have it all together! In fact, I don’t want to have it all together, because then it would completely eliminate my need for a Savior! I want to quit trying to make it seem like I do, because all I am doing is wearing myself smooth out!

Every day I am falling flat on my face and getting back up. Every day I feel inadequate and unworthy. Every day I am constantly working out my salvation with fear and trembling! I do not have it any more together than the next guy, and the more transparent I can be and realize my need for a Savior the better off I will be. If you read my blog, then know that this broken man behind the curtain is still just a man who is trying desperately to follow Jesus, and I would not have it any other way!

Open it Up

Phil 2:12-15

Read a little More

Phil. 2

I Didn’t Start the Fire

I love all of the sights and sounds of spring. It is definitely one of my favorite times of year. Growing up in the Midwest, every spring brought the burning of grass. Grass is burned to remove the old dead brown grass and allow new green grass to grow. There is danger in burning grass, as it can quickly get out of control. Yet there is excitement in that danger–the thrill of something uncontrollable! Whenever a grass fire is out of control and it is burning acre upon acre you quickly understand how beautifully dangerous grass fires can be. Every time I smell burning grass it brings back memories and makes me think of something new, fresh, dangerous.

When Jesus enters into your life, you are a lot like the grass that is burned. He enters your heart and quickly burns away the old person you once were. He replaces your old heart and gives you a new one. He removes all the baggage that you were carrying around with you and lightens your load. He says that you are a new creation; the old is gone and the new has come. He does this because clinging to the old parts of yourself does not allow you to grow. He has to burn away the old parts of who you were so that you can grow into the person that you are supposed to be.

It is always so refreshing to me to see someone who is experiencing the newness of Christ in their life. They are wild, untamed, and beautifully dangerous. Just like the fire, they are burning out of control. They want the whole world to know that they have a relationship with Jesus. They are refreshing to be around, they look different, act different, they are on fire. Then something happens as we grow into “mature” believers–the fire that was once so unstoppable suddenly becomes “controlled.” The winds of passion are not blowing and we are careful and cautious in our relationship with Jesus. We do not want to “burn” anyone with Jesus so we conceal that light under a bush and go around hiding the fire that was at one time burning so brightly. We become more worried about offending someone than helping them catch fire also.

Start embracing the beautiful, dangerous fire of Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to reignite what has been smoldering inside of you. There are people in front of your eyes that long to be set ablaze by the love of Jesus! Release control, because this fire cannot be controlled, and no one can ever extinguish it.

 

Real Talk

I’ve been convicted of this lately. This post comes from a place of vulnerability, as I feel I have been “hiding” Jesus under a bushel. Not intentionally, but under the mantle of “being controlled” which in my mind translates into fear. I have forgotten what boldness with Christ looks like, what being unashamed of the Gospel means.

Open it Up

2 Corinthians 5:17

Read a little More

2 Corinthians 6

 

How do you smell?

I spent one summer working at a pig farm about 45 minutes away from where I lived. I got the job through a roommate that was working there and had put in a good word for me. My job was to clean the birthing pens after the sows and their babies had been moved to the next set of pens. These birthing pens were in an enclosed room and the floors were grated so that everything could be easily washed away. Each room contained about 10 pens, and a sow gives birth to 8-12 piglets, so over 100 pigs would be in this room at a given time. They would stay there for about a week and then the room would need to be readied for the next group. I would go in there with a power washer and remove all of the mess. It needed to be very clean because bacteria and disease could easily kill the piglets. So I had to wash the ceilings, the lights, the doors and remove anything still clinging to the grated floor.

It was very tedious, and I am not a tedious guy, so it was a stretch for me. I wore a yellow rubber coat, pants, and boots to help me stay dry–and for the most part they did. What they could not protect me from was the awful way that I smelled at the end of the day. Once I got proficient with the job, it typically took me between 2.5 and 3 hours to finish. I wa locked in this room in the middle of the hot summer months, with very little air flow, spraying poo off the floor and having the moisture and mist lock the smell into my clothes, hair, and skin. After a long day I would drive home and shower, but the smell remained. The problem was that I had grown accustomed to the stench and could not smell myself! I only thought that the shower had removed the smell! It wasn’t until one afternoon playing ball that someone finally spoke truth and told me that I smelled! Thankfully, I only spent 2-3 weeks spraying pens before my boss relocated me to doing outside jobs, much to my relief and my friends.

It is easy to become so accustomed to your own odor and that you do not realize you stink. Just as the mist and the moisture caused the smell to embed itself in my clothes, being saturated with yourself can cause a stench that turns others’ stomachs. We must be careful not to be too inward focused to see that we are turning other people away. We may just add more mess to people’s lives, requiring others to come behind us and power wash it away.

The Bible says, “…We are the Aroma of Christ and that to some it will bring death and to others it will bring life.”  We need to be aware of how our actions and words reflect the aroma of Christ everyday. We need to start taking notice of how we can help others clean up their lives and not make it messier. When someone smells good you want to stand close to them to draw near, so start dousing yourself with the Christ Eau De Toilette spray and start smelling better!

 

Real Talk

I have found that nothing is more attractive than the love of Christ. He is a natural attractor–that is why I am so drawn to Him. Something about Jesus makes me want to be closer to Him to get to know Him better. When I am drawing near to my Savior, I notice that others want to be near me, to ask what it is that makes me different. I am very aware that as much as Christ attracts, not everyone will want to draw closer.

 

Open it Up

2 Corinthians 2:15-17

Read a little more

2 Corinthians 2

You will find this painful

If you have played any type of sport, you were probably impacted by the coach, for good or bad. I had a coach who was both my basketball and baseball coach during my freshman and sophomore years of high school. His name was Craig Marshall, and for all intents and purposes I was sure that he hated me. Now, I gave him good reason, like pulling the window of the bus down as we passed the cow farm after a tough loss, or never listening to him when he told us to wear a coat after basketball practice. He was constantly on my case, though, and I felt like I could never make him happy. I always felt like he singled me out each practice, and got on to me more than any of the other players.

Needless to say, I was happy when he left for a new position at another school. Finally, I could get a break! Frankly, I had not thought of him for years when his name was brought up during a discussion between me and my father years later. I told my father that I did not like coach Marshall and felt that he had not liked me either. My dad became really quiet and said, “Colby, coach Marshall really cared about you and believed in you. He believed in you more than any other coach at that school. He got on to you more because he wanted you to be better.”

The people who care about us the most are those who are willing to tell us the hardest things. They are asking us to stretch more, to get out of our comfort zones even when it hurts. The fact is that in order for you to be able to reach your full potential, you are going to have some pain. In order for you to realize all that you were created to be, you have to be stretched and broken. These are the times when you will grow the most and when you will become closer to realizing your true potential. The problem is that we to often shirk the discomfort. We blame the “coach” for being too hard when, in reality, that is who we should be listening to.

My friends, we waste so much of our potential because we are filling our stomachs with life’s leftovers instead of feasting from the banquet at the Lord’s table. We settle for the mundane when we could be growing and changing and becoming better. We don’t want to put ourselves in a position of discomfort, because we prefer to stay in our safe bubble. Had I heeded my coach’s advice, I may have been a much better player. Instead, I was afraid and did not want to rock the boat. I was comfortable with being a sub-par player, because then I would never anger other players by taking their place in the game.

Jesus was never afraid to speak hard truths if it would help someone grow. He does this with a rich young ruler. In Matthew 19, this young ruler comes to Jesus, asking to follow Him. Jesus asks him whether or not he has done certain things. The young man enthusiastically replies yes and then Jesus hits him with the hard question. “…go sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sadly, because he had great wealth.

Jesus presented an opportunity for this young man to grow and to be stretched, but what Christ had asked proved too much for this man. Now, I am not saying that you have to give up all your possessions to grow and be stretched! What I am saying is that for each of us to reach our true potential, we must be willing to do something that is hard. It also means listening to people who care about us and want the best for us even when we don’t want to hear it. Everyone has something to teach you, you just have to be willing to learn. Jesus did not create you to waste your life, He created you to live it to your full potential. Which will you choose?

Real Talk

In my own life, I have lived too long under the mantle of fear and pride. I believed that I had answers and that being the best I could be was solely dependent on myself. I have learned that true growth is accomplished when you listen and learn from others. Jesus says, “if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.” I have needed to actively pursue time with Jesus every day and to make it a priority. I want to abide in him because I know that I will need His power and strength to help me grow, also. He is the first person every morning that I listen to. Stretching is synonymous with sacrifice; they go hand in hand. To be able to reach your potential for Jesus, you will have to sacrifice–whatever that looks like in your life. You probably already know what that is, but it may be to hard to let it go! I am learning to embrace the pain, because I love the results!

Open it Up

Matt. 19:21-22

Read a little More

Matt 19

You need Help

Asking for help is scary. No one likes to admit that they are in need. We want everyone to think that we have it all together and that no matter what is happening, we are good. The awkwardness of transparency is unpleasant, and we don’t like unpleasant! We are comfortable as long as we feel we are in control.

What happens when you are confronted with the very real possibility that you must ask for help? When you realize that you have no choice, that in order to survive you must humble yourself and present your needs to someone. All of a sudden you feel naked and exposed. “Don’t look at me, I’m a helpless individual!” Yet, you will find that asking for help actually does the complete opposite of what you expect. Instead of making you look weak, you appear stronger. Because you realize that you are better together than apart and that people really are longing to be able to do something for you. Everyone desires to help, they just don’t know what it is that they need to help you with! If you are honest with yourself that is how you feel about helping others also.

Even Jesus asked for help.

“…My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matt.26:39)

At the most difficult time in His life, Jesus was asking for help. He realized that he could not complete what He was sent to Earth to do on His own. We all need to be better at asking for help, and not just when life gets hard, but on a daily basis. If you find that asking for help is difficult, then keep it really simple and start by asking God.  You may find that is what He has been waiting for you to do all along.

Real Talk

Asking for help has been a very real thorn in my side for the majority of my life, ask my friends and fellow YL staff!  I have always preferred to appear that I have it all together and that I can do it better than anyone else.  Why ask for help when it is so much easier to just do it my self.  That is foolish thinking because it left me very overwhelmed and incapable of developing a proper balance in my life. It was through prayer and a major turning point in my life that I finally realized that I needed to become better at asking for help.  By asking it has given me freedom to include others in my life and to become better at my work with Young Life.  I still have a long way to go but I know what can “help” me get there.

Open it Up

Matthew 26:38-39

Read a Little More

Matthew 26