So You Think You Can Dance

I’m sitting in the Seattle, WA airport writing this—humbled and blessed as I contemplate these things.

I’ll start off by saying I’m not much of a dancer.  If you don’t count the jumping up and down thing I have done at church (yep, I’m one of those!), I have shaken my money-maker only a couple times in public.  The rest has been with my wife and family and mostly pretty silly.

That said, the other day as I was driving to work and praying I had this picture flash before me.  It was a child and a dad, dancing.  I know from firsthand experience how wonderful this is, but this wasn’t all it could be because the child was trying to lead and toes kept getting stepped on.  The child was angry and fidgety as he tried to get his own way and pull dad along.

I could tell the child was frustrated and the dad was doing what he could, but couldn’t prevent the inevitable pain as the child struggled to be “free.”  It was then I heard in my spirit, “Let me lead.”

Then I saw the little child smile and step on Daddy’s toes so they could really dance and move freely.

All this happened in mere seconds, but these handful of days later, it still touches me—deeply.

I have to say I understand the child’s reaction. I’ve started reading Max Lucado’s new book, Fearless, in which he wisely states, “Fear, at its center, is a perceived loss of control. When life spins wildly, we grab for a component of life we can manage: our diet, the tidiness of a house, the armrest of a plane, or, in many cases, people…we feel cornered.” 

It’s not a comfortable feeling to feel that loss of control.  We want to “correct” what’s happening and get back on course.  Fear is a natural reaction, but thankfully we are new creations and don’t have to react naturally.

I know in many ways, I’ve been stressed.  About work, home, church, and life in general—there have been some real struggles lately and I found myself attempting to bring some measure of control into the equation.  The only problem is that outside of God, any “good” feeling or “normalcy” I attained was fleeting at best.

I hear Him deep in my heart again today, “Let me lead.”

We are taught that freedom is going and doing where we want, when we want, and so on.  This, sadly, conflicts with my living a completely surrendered life to Jesus. I end up trying to dance with Daddy and still trying to lead.  My toes bear the price, but if I don’t recognize what’s happening I miss the lesson.

The freedom is in the surrender.  The joy is not in me getting my way, trying to pull God along, but in letting go and allowing Him to scoop me up in His arms and listen to the song of love He sings.

I realize this is not manly imagery, but honestly, I don’t care.  It’s not about that.  I can’t be fulfilled and do everything He’s given me to do unless I let Him lead.

The ballroom dancers may float effortlessly and elegantly. The hip-hop dancers may wow the crowd with amazing feats.  The salsa dancers may bring excitement and energy.  But there’s nothing more beautiful than a father and child enjoying and loving each other. The whole world disappears, as it should.

So today, forget dancing with the stars. I’ll be dancing with the Maker of the stars…

The Everday Testimony Project is here!

Today I'm on planes all day as I head to Oklahoma for a conference for leaders in our network of churches. I'm expecting great things as God speaks and meets us. It's a short trip, but I know it will be a fruitful one of recharging and seeking Him.

A few days I told you about a project I was working on with the purpose of seeing God's people cultivate thankfulness.  I've called it the Everyday Testimony Project.

It's a place to share the everyday miracles in our lives and encourage one another with our testimonies of God's faithfulness.  I love hearing people's stories, getting to know the big and small miracles that God does every single day in the lives of His people.  I also know that I can and do get sidetracked and busy which leads to confusion and forgetting how much God has done until I doubt my future.

Psalm 103:2 says, "Bless the LORD, O my soul,
         And forget none of His benefits;"

That's a tall order! David is telling himself to remember all the benefits of knowing God, to praise Him for everything.  You and I both know that doesn't just happen.  It has to be continually worked on, a process.

This is what I'm hoping will happen with this new site.  I pray people will return again and again to share their praise and thanks for all of His benefits, that we will examine our hearts and lives and recognize His hand of blessing even when we may normally fail to see it.

Will you join me in an everyday testimony? It just may be the beginning of new growth for all of us.  Go ahead and tell me what you think!

Click here to join in now...

First Thing to Remember

This post is part of a blog carnival where we all write about “Remember.”  The honors of hosting go to Peter Pollock of Rediscovering the Church, and I encourage you to check out all the entries as well as Peter’s great blog (if you’ve never done so).

How can something so simple be so hard?  “Just remember… Don’t forget…”

I probably tell my kids a hundred times a day these words or something similar.  They need to remember to put their shoes away when they come in the house.  Remember to work on your homework.  Don’t forget to feed your guinea pig.  Don’t forget to pick up your toys.

Not only is a lot of energy expended on reminding them to remember, but I also let them know when they forgot.

“You forgot to put your backpack on the hook.  I told you to get your coat out of the car.  You forgot to bring your lunchbox upstairs for me.  You didn’t put the blocks away after you played with them.”

I get frustrated sometimes that concepts so ridiculously simple as “if you get something out, put it away” as well as the every single day routine things slip my kids’ minds. 

As parents, we know in some ways we are preparing them for when we won’t be there.  We want them to internalize our voices so they don’t end up slobs who can’t take care of themselves.  Beyond that, we hope our voice is heard when they have the opportunity to show kindness and be a good neighbor, and that they trust God and learn how to lean on those God puts in their lives. 

Part of that puzzle requires me to be out of the equation for the fullness of that reality.  My kids (as young as they are) sometimes think they’re ready for that, but they don’t realize that when that time comes it’s sink or swim for them.  They take little steps of independence and grow along the way.

This is why I not only remind them what to do, but I constantly remind them who they are and how much they mean to me.  I tell them I love them a hundred times a day.  You can ask them, if I say, “You know what?” then they know nine times out of ten that what will follow is “I love you.”

I make it a point to make as much noise in celebrating their wins as I do shouting about how they’ve disappointed me.  I want them to know how proud I am of their accomplishments and who they are becoming.

Sometimes we get mixed up.  We think God is always reminding us of our weaknesses and lack, telling us what to do or what not to do.  He certainly wants us to move at His leading and obey (because it will end in our blessing and fulfillment), but to the infinite degree, God is a gracious and loving Father. 

He reminds us constantly of His love, grace, forgiveness, and abundant life.  He tells us not to forget who we are and whose we are.  He draws us in close to remind us of precious promises and truths.

We’ve got to hear and understand both reminders or we’ll end up with fear and disillusionment overwhelming us. If I don’t understand how much I’m loved, how can I attempt uncomfortable walks of faith?  If I don’t understand that I’m a son whether I succeed or fail, I may never recover from a setback.

I don’t want my kids just to remember what to do and when to do it.  I want them to remember what amazing people they are, how much potential they have to change the world, and how loved they are no matter what.

Let’s internalize His voice, His promises, His truth in all forms.  He’s not going anywhere, but we do have tests in our lives.  And the tests are fantastically simpler to pass when we enter them prepared.

Remember who you are: bought and loved.  That's the place to start and return to over and over.  Everything else will spring from there.

To Sow, To Reap

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Do you always sow intentionally expecting?  Sometimes I give of myself, time, resources, money, whatever without even contemplating that I’m sowing seed and that seed will produce a harvest. 

I often think of it that way when I’m preaching because I can’t control how someone receives or doesn’t receive what I feel God is saying on a given day, all I can do is sow the seed and trust the God of the process. I've been thinking recently that I want to attempt to sow everything to God in this way because then I know where to reap.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:7-8).

I want to be a cheerful, generous giver.  I want to sow love, grace, peace, joy, encouragement, and godliness because I know I’ll reap that back in the most amazing ways so I’ll be fully supplied, abounding in “every good work.”

I know we don’t give to get.  It’s not an “I’ll send $456 to XYZ Ministries so God will pay all my bills.”  It’s not about manipulating God.  But He does say that if we sow, we will reap and even the way we sow—sparingly or generously—will be the way we reap.

Right now I may have an abundance of faith so I can sow that to God to encourage my brother or sister who is struggling.  Then when things get harder and I struggle, I can expect the same lift.  I don’t know how God does it, but He does it!

On Saturday, our church committed to bless our community. Now, it was a relatively small group who worked hard to put this together and see it through, but the entire church sowed together.  We had games, prizes, and candy for the trick-or-treaters in the mall where we were set up.

With two hours of prep time and the three hours we were open, we sowed as generously as we could.  Each little bag of goodies had a little card attached that said we were giving it to show God’s love and had our church information there as well.  We ended up giving out over 120 bags! (Not to mention juice pouches and bottled water).

I prayed that night as I drove home and I prayed this morning that those cards would be illuminated to people. I prayed that what we sowed would result in people coming to know Jesus.  It may be some of those we met yesterday; it may be different people altogether.  They may come to our church; they may go somewhere else. That's not the point.

The point is that we sowed in faith, not in people but in God.  We turned it all over to Him, and we can expect a harvest.  Since I’m not in the market for some candy, I ask that God touch people’s lives and bring them to know Jesus in the most life-changing and transformative way possible. 

There are always more and other opportunities to sow, but I don’t want miss the opportunities and excitement to reap either. Through it all, I want to sow to Him so we can reap from Him.


 I am expecting.

Help Me with a Project (Please)

I'm writing this today to see if I can enlist some help, especially from those engaged in social media and/or in the blogging community.

As part of my blogiversary month, I had ambitious plans for multiple giveaways and other exciting things.  Needless to say, I fell a little short, but one of the plans I made is still going to happen! I've been working on this project the past month and I want to share it with you now.

I have lots of ideas, but I'm sad to say that most never see the light of day.  This one came to me and I knew I couldn't let it pass by.  I was determined not to let the "what if's" or "how's" stop me because I feel it is so worthwhile and important.

Here's what we know:

• Many Christians drift through life not understanding the power of praise and giving thanks
• People are often "too busy" to meditate on God's goodness and blessings
• We can get so caught up with what we don't have that we miss what we do have

What I'm proposing as a part in combating this is what I'm calling, The Everyday Testimony Project.  You and I both know it's easy to celebrate the big things, the great miracles that take place in our lives.  We praise then and rightly so!  But what about the everyday, small miracles—when we get all our bills paid, when our child stays well in the midst of a sick school, when that old car makes to work and back one more time…

God is worthy of our praise every single day.  I believe there is a testimony for every single day, but we have to be willing to look for it.  Some days that’s easy and others not so much, but developing a heart of gratitude will serve us well for the rest of our lives and we can encourage each other with our everyday testimonies.

So how am I asking for your help?

• Please go check out the site I set up first
• Then follow @Evdaytestimony on twitter
•  Become a fan on Facebook if you like
• Tell anyone and everyone who might be interested about it (social media, forums, wherever!)
• Consider writing a post about the launch for next Wednesday, 11/4

I’m very excited about this as I believe this is something God will use to bring glory to His name as well as strengthen the weary.  We can encourage each other in the big and the small things, but we have to recognize the tremendous testimony that’s there.

Will you join me? Thank you in advance for however you choose to participate!

Light Friday Hit List 10/30/09

Facing the unknown is daunting, except when the unknown is the weekend.  That is some wisdom to chew on, right there.

Happy Friday to everyone!

Before I get to this week’s list can I ask that you pray for something.  Tomorrow is Halloween, and as a church we are able to go into one of the malls here and set up some games and pass out candy to our community.  It’s an amazing chance to meet people and simply be a blessing.  I’m praying that a lot of people come by, have fun, and meet some Christians who care! 

I know some are opposed to Halloween and see it as the “Devil’s day.” I know things go on, but no matter what, it’s still God’s day and He is still in control.  Instead of hiding out so that evil can’t find us, I think we should make the most of every opportunity because all the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16) and this is a chance to be a blessing and a light.  I shall step off the soapbox now, but thank you for praying!

Here is the list:

• Favorite Funny—A How-to Worship Video on Youtube
• Favorite Tweet—@tremendousnews When I was a kid, we couldn't afford Lego. I had "Fun Blocks". All of them were red. Not so fun, mom. Not so fun.
• Favorite Encouragement—Fearlessness from Evotional.com
• Favorite Post from a Friend—Surrendering isn’t Giving Up by Billy Coffey on High Calling Blogs
• Favorite Challenge—How to Help Each Other Grow through Prayer by Kevin Martineau
• And in a special category, Favorite Willingness to Engage—Bringing Jesus to B****fest from Getting down with Jesus (may all we all grasp in our own situations how to advance, not retreat; love, not abandon—this is excellent)

Have a safe and blessed weekend!  You can be watchful and prayerful as you still love and engage, oh and don’t forget to pray for Breakthrough Church!

Have a favorite post or link to share with us in the comments?  The floor is yours (but I do own the rug).  Blessings!

Top 10 Things “I Will Be Disappointed If…”

10.  I live to see a future where we DO all end up wearing silver one-piece jumpers

9. Coffee is ever outlawed and replaced with… anything else (very disappointed)

8. Heaven really is a cornfield in Iowa

7. I do not gain personal knowledge of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s 7 herbs and spices (don’t be stingy, KFC)

6. This post is not retweeted by 8 of my close, personal (internet) friends

5. I never eat bacon again (just the thought conjures a solitary tear streaming down my face)

4. I am not recognized professionally for my many contributions to modern dance

3. My idea for a Marco Polo remote is not put into full production (like the kids’ pool game, you call out “Marco” and the remote answers back “Polo” until you find where the gremlins hid it. Fun and useful!)

2.  My book of proverbs is not turned into a full-length motion picture (here’s a glimpse: Like a unicorn without a rainbow is a girl without a boy to boss around).  I’m thinking Brad Pitt can shave his head and play me *shut up*

And at number 1, the biggest thing… The greatest item— I will be disappointed if…

The baseball cards of players you’ve never heard of that I collected as a child purely for monetary gain don’t net me millions.  Anybody in the market for a mint, autographed ’84 Charlie Puleo? Ah, dang it…

For those who are wondering, I am of course 100% serious with each and every one of these. I have shared with you today, my dear friends, my most secret inner thoughts.  Though we have no binding legal arrangement, I expect the same from you.  

Please do not disappoint me.  Otherwise I shall be forced to add it to the list.

Your turn to play! I’ll start you off and you run with it in the comments, “I will be disappointed if…” And GO!

Breaking Up Is Impossible to Do?

A few nights ago, we were driving home from a prayer meeting at our church.  Our boys had ridden with their Grammy so we only had our daughter, Alicia, with me and my wife, Andrea.

We were talking and Alicia stayed fairly quiet. Then she broke her silence with this, “I know what’s going to happen.  You and mommy are going to break up.” She said it sort of laughing, like she thought it was funny.  Maybe she was trying to be funny, I don’t know.

Whatever the case, this totally caught me off guard because I don’t remember what we were saying but I do know that it would be hard to infer from our conversation that our marriage was in trouble.  Andrea and I have fought before.  Words have been exchanged loudly. Opinions have been expressed dramatically.  And yes, Alicia and our boys have witnessed such things.

This was not one of those times.

I immediately jumped in to let her know, “Mommy and daddy are staying together forever.  We made a promise to God and a promise to each other.  We are not going to break up.”

Andrea and I both calmly but emphatically stated this fact in multiple ways: we won’t give up on our family.

I don’t say that to put down anyone who has been through the pain of a divorce.  There are many and varied reasons marriages crumble for sure. I know that sometimes one person controls the entire process and helplessness ensues. I'm not addressing anyone else's situations or circumstances.

But why would I tenaciously and confidently assert such a bold thing to my 5-year-old daughter?

It could have been I was trying to reassure her or protect her, but no, there is a much simpler explanation.  I wholeheartedly believe what I told her. There was no hesitation in my voice, and I didn't have to stop and consider what my response would be.

My wife and I are not going anywhere.  Whatever problem we face, we face it together.  Whatever obstacles arise, we trust God put us together and knows how to care for us completely.

We don’t beat each other or the children.  We aren’t alcoholics or drug dealers. We don’t cheat on each other.  That’s not to say God can’t do a miracle in those situations, but we aren’t facing these types of difficulties (and neither are lots of  other couples) so why would we even think about giving up?  

We have real problems for sure, but we took divorce off the table as an option a long time ago.  We don’t even joke about it because it’s just not an option.

Yes, we believe firmly that God hates divorce, but that’s not why it’s not an option (or not the only reason).  We know what we entertain playfully now could someday be a consuming thought.  We know working hard at things, putting God first, and continually growing in our love will have to be enough.  Whatever is lacking, we trust God will provide.

From the moment we were married, we became family.  We left everyone else and cleaved to each other. Thankfully, we still very much enjoy the cleaving (oh, she’s going to kill me now—won’t have to worry about divorce), but I have confidence that God brought us together and He can maintain and finish what He started.

I think life is like this.  Sometimes we hurt ourselves by keeping certain options off the table, but other times we weaken everything by holding options we shouldn’t be touching with a ten foot pole.

I know my wife and I have been tested on this and will be again, but I’m boldly proclaiming that breaking up is impossible to do for us—as long as we allow God to be our foundation and truly seek to love and care for each other as God has shown us how to love.

We aren’t perfect and I haven’t quite gotten “loving my wife as Christ loves the Church” down yet.  I do press ahead with my partner, my lover, and my friend.  We are stronger together and with grace, we will endure until the end.

How about you?  Do you feel like having certain things as possible options could lead you that direction? Or do you think I’m nuts and have no idea what I’m talking about? You can tell me—I can handle it.