Find the Filter

2009-08-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

1 John 1:8-10

"If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God."

I'm not sure if I ever deny that I screw up... but there are times I ignore it. I somehow think if I pretend I didn't mess up then it didn't happen. I think it might keep me from feeling shame. In actuality, the shame comes from carrying around the burden of sin in my life that God purposely designed Jesus to carry on the cross. He longs to take it off me, so why should I keep pretending it's not there?

God's voice gets lost in my refusal to let go of pain and give it to Him.

On a connecting note... I can't stand when people get bored with the cross. As if saying, "Yeah, yeah, I get it... but what else is there?" Don't get me wrong, I love learning about the depths of God, but I'll never leave the feet of the cross.

Old Pictures

2009-08-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

There are subtle truths about pictures... you never look the same as you remember. Whenever I take pictures I tend to think I look weird. However, if a year or two goes by, I always look back and go, "Wow, that wasn't so bad." This is either a sign that I am getting uglier or that sometimes you need to step away from the memory to appreciate it.

So a word to the wise... Find ways to preserve memories, because they remind us of where we have been... and where we've been determines the fate of where we are headed.

Caving In

2009-08-07T04:31:00.000-07:00

I realized in my attempt to save money by not having the internet at home, I managed to ignore writing my blog. I caved in and now have internet, so my writings should be a little more consistent.

My thoughts for the day come from a quote I found in my Grandfather's old photo album:
"Handle the hardest job first each day... easy ones are pleasures."

There's something to say about the weight of the larger challenges in life. If we manage to tackle whatever dark cloud is hanging over us, everything else seems easy, and possibly enjoyable.

Projects

2009-07-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we bought our first home in Charleston, South Carolina. When we moved in I immediately noticed a few projects I wanted to get working on. The more projects we take on the more ideas pop inside my head. What is it about a project that can focus our mind?

I think projects get us excited because we see progress and the end result. There's a start, a finish, and a time to appreciate what we've accomplished.

What makes our walk with God so difficult is that it has all the characteristics of a real relationship. In relationships there is a start, but there never seems to be a finish. If there is a finish, it involves a breaking of that relationship. Since we never intend to break our relationship with God, we are never done.

That's a hard thought. I mean, it's nice to know God's never done with us, because He knows how much work we need. But it's hard work knowing that everyday we need to put in time with God, no matter what kind of mood we're in, so that we can keep pressing forward.

Paul talks about running a race (1 Corinthians 9). I can only imagine the finish line is when we die and are brought to heaven. I guess that makes sense, but if that's the case, this is one long marathon.

So what's my point?

My point today is simple... run the race like it's a marathon. Don't get burned out or lose hope. Too often it seems people fail to understand that in a marathon it is not the person who flies out of the gate ahead of everyone else who wins (or even finishes), but the people who know how to pace themselves. In addition, marathon runners often stick together, because everyone needs other people to help them keep their own pace.

We aren't followers of Christ for a season, for a few years, or while our children are growing up and need "moral fiber". We follow Christ until we take our last breath, whenever that may be. Only then can we look back upon our finished work and appreciate all God has done with us.

Wes

People

2009-06-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people can distract us from, well, everything. Even in the "normal" rhythm of life, other people's problems can somehow infect us, no matter how strong the barrier we put up. What's even worse is when two people, having equally frustrating days, collide to create a cataclysmic social problem. Sometimes we're one of those people, sometimes we're not. Either way, humanity is so incredibly flawed and messed up, that I wonder how we function together at all. We all have egocentric, self-filling motives in this life, mixed in with a little bit of grace. Sometimes we manage to get out of the way long enough for God to work, so it is only a further testament to his compassion and mercy that he is able to use us in a world where we can't seem to stop stumbling over our own two feet.

I sound frustrated because I am frustrated. What's funny is I have no direct target, except us. Oh, I'm in the middle of that boat as well... Sometimes I feel like the captain of stupidity leading it.

How can WE get out of the way? Seriously. God wants so badly to show up in our world, to pull us out of the mess we have made, but we're too busy telling Him, "Just hold a minute," while we worry about things that don't matter.

This past 10 days or so have been a reminder of that.

Why do we do the things we do?

Why do we wake up in the morning?

What are we living for?

Rhythm

2009-05-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

Our faith is living, active, and restless. It reminds me of music... and I love music. God only knows who I would be without the feel of six strings in my hand or the release of my voice in song. But music only works when everything arrives together in unison. There has to be a constant; something that everything else looks to for rhythm. In a band, it's the drummer. In an orchestra, it's the conductor. In our faith it's the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit beats inside of us with a deep, slow, rhythm, guiding the wayward parts of our heart back in sync with the movement he longs for us to follow. When we submit our hearts to the Holy Spirit we grow in our knowledge of the power God has put inside us all to rise above the pit of despair we often believe we deserve to live in. That power, when engaged, reveals the world as God sees it, propelling us beyond the view of the world we often get trapped in.

We must intentionally recognize that the Holy Spirit is active inside of us. We must feed it with prayer, the reading of God's Word, and with spiritual disciplines that strip away everything else that hides God's voice.

Simple

2009-04-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

Technology is such a bitter-sweet thing. Without it my wife (and maybe daughter) would not be alive... so right there it has its uses. And the microwave? Enough said. Still there are moments when I am overwhelmed by it all. I'll be on my computer, watching television, music in the background, and wonder why it's hard to communicate to my wife.

Sometimes I wish it were all gone. I don't really mean it, but I do wish it were limited. When I'm forced to be without a computer and television, my appreciation for music skyrockets... and because music makes me think, my relationship with God opens up some more. My relationships with people also seem to improve.

I guess what I'm really wondering is other than the necessities (medical, military, etc.), has it improved our lives? If the measure of improvement was either happiness OR our relationship with God, then I'm willing to say... no. It hasn't improved anything. Yes, people can be reached around the world in ways we never could dream, and that is tribute to those who use technology well. Still, most of us become so congested with it, that I don't understand its value.

I encourage people I mentor to practice solitude. I encourage people to turn off their cell phones when they can, turn off their iPods, and be without it all for a time. Silence has become far too scary, our need to be in immediate connection an unnecessary addiction, and lost in it all is knowing who we are stripped down to the core.

Go live in a foreign country without those things and you will know exactly what I mean... and you'd probably thank me for it.

House

2009-04-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

There's a habit I learned awhile back. I'm not sure where I picked it up, but it involves finding truth it odd places. I also try to look beyond people's actions and ask the question, "Why?" or "What can that teach me?"

While watching the TV show "House" I stumbled upon a moment in the show that reminds me of one of life's deepest values.

Dr. House goes to the home of a doctor he desperately wants to come back to work. He doesn't think anyone else can fill the position, so he is willing to do anything to get her to come back to work. While he's talking, Dr. House's beeper goes off. When the woman asks him what it is he replies, "There's an epidemic". She tells him he should go, thinking it's crazy he hasn't left to go solve the problem. But Dr. House doesn't even flinch, saying, "This is more important."

I loved that. I mean, how often in life do we feel like there's an epidemic going on or the world will collapse if we don't take care of the problem that faces us? It happens to everyone. But how often do we recognize the big picture? How often do we stop and say, "yes, there's something or someone that needs me, but there's something else more important."

I feel like God is always waiting for us, and very rarely do we make space in our lives to meet with Him. Why? Because life always keeps us in the immediate, making us think that the problems of the day need to be solved before we can "enjoy" our time with God. But that's not how it works! We need to make space for God in the craziness, as much as it feels impossible. If in the epidemic of our life we broke our leg would we find a way to make time to go to the hospital? Of course. Yet our heart could be shattered and we keep walking around as if it's okay.

The urgent can wait. Our heart cannot.

Burning Bush

2009-04-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Most people know the story of Moses. In fact, it's usually around Easter that we find "The Ten Commandments" on TV. I turned it on and watched it for an hour, because I found the old take on this story quite entertaining. Honestly, it's funny to watch the way they used to make movies.

I started thinking about Moses more and more, so I decided to read the story for the first time in about a year. I turned to the book of Exodus and here's what I learned:

God tells Moses to ask Pharaoh to let the Israelites worship in the desert, but Pharaoh says no. Afterwards, Pharaoh ups the workload of the people, which in turn makes all the Israelites mad at Moses. I mean, if he had simply kept his mouth shut, things would be like they always were. How would you feel if God gave you a task and in return everyone got mad at you for following it?

I've been meditating on this for about a week now. Whose voice do I listen to in my own life? Do I listen to God? Do I listen to those around me? Do I listen to those who don't understand God's plan for my life? Whose voice is in control when I make decisions?

My challenge is targeting the voices that are not God's, and intentionally shutting them up. I remind myself that my life is not intended to impress people or win them over. What's the point of having people like us if we don't even like ourselves? We've become a little backward in that thinking. So here's my order (take it or leave it):

1. God created my life, values my life enough to die for it, and knows what's best for me... so I listen to him first.
2. I know my life, where I've been, what I've done, and I need to value who I am... so I listen to myself second.
3. People close to me probably know my life, most of where I've been, a lot what I've done, and they value me... so I listen to them third.
4. People not close to me don't have much (if any) of a voice. They might earn one someday, but not today.

I actually work back from 4, trying to push each of the voices away until I hear only God's. Why? Because everything else falls from there. Know the voice of God and you will know the only voice that really matters. We just like to filter it through all the other voices.

Again with those filters. Find them, rid yourself of them, and you might be surprised at what you hear.

Woods

2009-04-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

Around lunchtime today I went behind my house and explored the woods. I'm not a huge outdoor person, but I have an appreciation for nature. I find God there every time.

There's something to be said about physically walking away from the world we know into a world that knows nothing about what clouds our thinking. Slowly I found myself breathing in the air of solitude and breathing out the weight of concern I carry about the daily operations of life. After walking about a quarter of a mile down an unknown path, I stopped and spoke to God. I confessed my weaknesses, my failures, and my obsessive need to control everything. I surrendered my inability to do anything well on my own and asked him to speak to me.

As I closed my eyes I must admit I did not hear much, but what I did hear was clear. "Look at your hands," He said to me. I followed those words and looked at my hands, calloused and rough from life. I held my hands there and said, "What would you have me do with them?" I found out quickly that was the wrong question. I have a tendency to ask the wrong questions. Instead, I stopped talking and thought about my hands.

I use my hands to open doors, play music, touch my wife, hold my daughter, cook dinner, fix things, write on a computer, and express much of how I am feeling. I also remembered something someone once told me when I was younger in ministry. They told me it would be through my hands that God would use me. Do I know how? Maybe partially at best. But even that would be a guess.

What was essential to my time with God was I felt close to God. I felt him smile down on me. I felt his embrace. Not completely, but enough to give me strength.

My conclusion? There is power within us, residing in the Holy Spirit. It can be dormant or it can be active. The closer we walk to God, the more we remove our filters, the more the Holy Spirit begins to stir. As it stirs it guides us with wisdom, provides us with strength, and fills us with joy.

Galatians 5:22-23
"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"

Noise

2009-04-20T22:13:00.001-07:00

I believe God wants to bless us. Not some of us. All of us. So why does He seem so far away?

The answer, I believe, is we filter God's voice through the noises of our surrounding world.

If we're honest, we never have enough time to do what needs to be done in a given day, so we feel completely overwhelmed. We have become obsessed with the urgent, instead of focusing on what we truly value. This leaves us tired. But instead of turning off the craziness, we add to it. Television, iPods, movies, social hours, etc. It begins to feel like hundreds of voices in or head at all times.

Filters. Filters. Filters. There are layers of filters breaking up the voice of God from carrying into or heart.

That is is why I am writing this, because I believe there are ways to strip away the layers of noise that hide the voice of God.

He is always speaking... we just don't know how to hear Him.