Reflections on 2008

This past year has been truly amazing. It started out with a wonderful trip to Lake Tahoe to spend New Years with close friends of ours, from there got crazy, I don't think that we even stopped to breathe until after Easter. Other dear friends moved across country to be closer to family, and I changed jobs. As a nation we elected a new president not the outcome that I desired but the one that I am stuck with none the less. I began attending an all day bible study where once every few months I have to take a day off of work just to go, worth it of course, God has taught me so much about who He made me to be, the man that He desires me to be, the Husband and Father that He desires me to be, and the Servant in the church that He desires me to be.

Coming up we are going to look at the 5 things that God wants me to be.

The Everlasting Mercy of God

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalm 136:1)

God’s mercy is a monumental theme in Scripture. The English word appears some 341 times in the Bible. The four Hebrew and three Greek words appear a total of 454 times and are also translated by "kindness," "lovingkindness," "goodness," "favor," "compassion," and "pity." Of the 66 books of the Bible, only 16 do not use one of the words for mercy. Even though "mercy" is an important concept, it is somewhat difficult to prescribe a definition for it, especially since "grace" is occasionally coupled with it.

In the first reference where "mercy" is used, Lot has just been expelled from Sodom by the angels of judgment. In spite of the command by the angels that Lot and his daughters "escape to the mountain," Lot begs; "Oh, not so, my LORD: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life, . . . this city is near . . . Oh, let me escape thither" (Genesis 19:17-20). And later, the New Testament saints are told to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). In these and other such passages, the two terms appear to address similar subjects.

However similar they may appear to be, these words are not synonyms. "Grace" is most often associated with the sovereign dispensation of totally undeserved favor, and it is specifically connected to salvation. "Mercy" is more often connected to the withholding of judgment: "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment" (James 2:13).

Set aside some time today to read and meditate on this Psalm. You will find the day less wearisome if you do. HMM III

Taken from Days of Praise, a daily email from ICR

Economic stress

Don't try and live life on your own. When you try and take on the world with out the Most High in your corner, you will end up between a rock and a hard place.

During this Christmas season remember that it is Jesus that we are celebrating, I know that I am constantly having to check my motives for what I do and what I say. Take some time and look back at why He came to earth. Is there a slow down/recession you betch'ca will we get through it absolutely, you ask how? Will it be hard, sure. I can guarantee you this that if Jesus is your number 1 all of that stress will turn to peace, notice I didn't say that it would be hard I just said you when it is hard you will find your comfort in the most high.

More to come

Matt 6:25-33

I was encouraged by this today

August 4, 2008

The Brave Friendship of God

He took the twelve aside . . . —Luke 18:31
Oh, the bravery of God in trusting us! Do you say, "But He has been unwise to choose me, because there is nothing good in me and I have no value"? That is exactly why He chose you. As long as you think that you are of value to Him He cannot choose you, because you have purposes of your own to serve. But if you will allow Him to take you to the end of your own self-sufficiency, then He can choose you to go with Him "to Jerusalem" ( Luke 18:31 ). And that will mean the fulfillment of purposes which He does not discuss with you.

We tend to say that because a person has natural ability, he will make a good Christian. It is not a matter of our equipment, but a matter of our poverty; not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us; not a matter of natural virtues, of strength of character, of knowledge, or of experience— all of that is of no avail in this concern. The only thing of value is being taken into the compelling purpose of God and being made His friends (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 ). God’s friendship is with people who know their poverty. He can accomplish nothing with the person who thinks that he is of use to God.

As Christians we are not here for our own purpose at all— we are here for the purpose of God, and the two are not the same. We do not know what God’s compelling purpose is, but whatever happens, we must maintain our relationship with Him. We must never allow anything to damage our relationship with God, but if something does damage it, we must take the time to make it right again. The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.

Recently

Just a short update and an encouragement. I have been working with a group called the Mere Christianity Project, to take the book "Whats So Great About Christianity" from small little pockets of excited people to a movement. We are looking forward to taking those statement made by prominent atheists dissecting those statements from an objective point of view and pointing out the contradictions. I will have a Devotional posted soon.

Nick

The Plan and The will of The Lord

This week we have guest author Clark Vandeventer President and CEO of World Changers Inc. , He is married and has one son. Clark is a public speaker and great friend of mine enjoy.

How am I supposed to know if I am in His will?
One of my all-time favorite movies is Jerry McGuire. In fact, I have thought about this movie and the parallels between myself and Jerry McGuire over the past weeks and months very frequently. On a recent flight from Washington, D.C. I was even reminded of a cross country drive with my good friend Todd Bushong while I was in college. We were sitting in the backyard of the people we were staying with and it was late at night. I told Todd that I thought my own life would sort of play out as Jerry's had. Great success followed by a deep searching. I had no idea--I mean absolutely no idea--how prophetic those words would be. I've applied many lines from the movie to my own life recently, but when I read this question there was a totally different line that came to mind. Jerry and Dorothy are out to dinner for the first time and they're telling stories about their wounds of the heart and soul. And then Dorothy interjects: "maybe love should be easy." What she was saying is that when you love someone, it's easy to love them... because you love them. Maybe God's will should be easy. That's provided that we are walking in the light. I'm reminded of the line in Isaiah where God says that we'll hear his voice saying "this is the way; walk in it." I believe that when we are walking with the Lord He guides are steps and works everything out according to his plan. There's another line in Scripture that reads "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." I know this is true not just because it is the Word of God, but from sheer experience. I believe God loves watching us make our plans. He loves seeing us dream and seek to serve Him as best we can. And then He determines how that actually plays out.

When I take a step forward, have I sought the Lord in whatever step that is?

I think one of the hardest questions we face in life is this: "Is it a test or is it a sign?" Hopefully we do pray about moving forward or in a different direction in life. And we all know that there's something in us giving us little cues that light the path (sometimes the light seems dim). When obstacles come it's hard to discern at times whether this is a sign that we are not going in the right direction versus whether God is testing our commitment to the path we have chosen. And, to make this all the more complicated, we should be aware of the fact that the enemy can open up incredible doors for us. Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, it's the devil. This is why we pray not only when we are about to step forward, but continually.

How do I discern what the Lord's plan is?
The Holy Spirit.

How do I choose my career? Or second career?
The Bible is full of promises, but we should remember that many of these promises have clauses. For example, the Bible tells me that the Lord wants me to have the desires of my heart. And it tells me that He will answer my prayers... provided that I pray according to His will.
Rob Bell addressed this question of career and vocation in one of his Nooma films. He said that in choosing a career people often ask "what do you love" but that an equally good question to ask is "what do you hate?"
When you see injustice do you feel hatred toward that injustice? Perhaps you are the person to bring justice.

How can I effect the World for the Kingdom?
Be in the arena. Teddy Roosevelt wrote that the credit does not belong to the critic, but to the man who is in the arena; the man whose face is marred by blood and sweat and tears. Being a world changer is about bring salt and light to the corner of the world that you live in and living and working excellently. Christians should be the absolute best artists because we know and have within us the ultimate beauty. We should be the best businessmen because we have the ultimate example of servant leadership. Ken Blanchard states that the goal of his company is 6.8 billion people served everyday by leading like Jesus. And I am convinced that the institutional church, no matter how important and how vibrant it is, cannot accomplish this goal. 6.8 billion people do not go to church everyday. Nor can the church led enough missions trips to reach 6.8 billion people everyday. And even if we could, our impact would only be on the surface. But 6.8 billion people live in the marketplace everyday. In America that marketplace may be very advanced but the marketplace exists just the same in every corner of the globe.
World Changers Inc. (www.worldchangers.us.com), for which I serve as CEO, is committed to adding meaning and value to the marketplace. We often say that we're committed to "connecting people to things bigger and more lasting than this world."
We operate on the premise that all men and women have a soul and long to be spoken to at a deeper level, but that so much of the modern marketplace only speaks to the most carnal aspects of our humanity. Is there more to life and sex and designer jeans? We believe that there is. And we believe that it is in meaningful customer experiences that we can take common things and make them sacred by using them to advance the Gospel.

The will and the plan of the Lord

A thought to ponder, Kind of like a snack before the meal...

I have been recently thinking a lot about God's plan for my life.

How am I supposed to know if I am in His will?

When I take a step forward, have I sought the Lord in whatever that step is?

How do I discern what the Lord's plan is?

How do I choose my career, or second career?

Lastly...

How can I Affect and Effect the World for the Kingdom?

Next time we will have answers to these questions so enjoy pondering for now.

Till then.
Nick