Reality of the Unseen

To Church with Being Blunt

2006-04-30T19:18:00.000-05:00

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m really thinking not…I hate religion being forced down anyone’s throat. What in the world would make a person want to listen to you when you are sitting there preaching at them, not even letting them talk so you can see the way they think, all in the name of “presenting the Gospel?” If the Gospel means good news, it sure doesn’t sound all that good to the person on the other end of your speech. What would be better news for that person is for you to actually care enough about them to get to know their life, their passions and struggles. What would be even better news is if that person saw you cared enough to give them your time to listen to them, and not just barely fit them in with enough time to present the Roman’s Road to Salvation, say a prayer with them and then run off to put another tally score down on your conversion list.

You probably already know I’ve just finished reading a.k.a. “LOST” by Jim Henderson, huh? If you didn’t know that, you need to read the book. It will go against all the training you have ever received on evangelism, and I can guarantee you right now you will begin to have more unforced and relaxed spiritual conversations with strangers than you have ever had using the “old” method of just presenting some memorized points and scriptures. How can I guarantee this? I can because I have already seen it in my own life. I’ve been asking more questions to people and then actually listening for their response, not just waiting for my next turn to talk so I can get them “saved.”

The subtitle of the book is “Discovering ways to connect with the people Jesus misses most.” Jesus misses people who don’t know Him yet. He misses them so much and His way of reaching out to them is by us, His body. If we don’t reach out, no one will. They will never experience the love of God through Christ. Ever. And this love is not about ruling the world or presenting some points with memorized scripture. It’s just about love. For Heaven’s sake where did we get so turned around into thinking that a little outline we memorized in some “evangelism training” class was actually going to cause people to truly come to know Christ and His love? And why do we train for “evangelism” in a classroom while basketball players and golfers actually go out and do it for their training?

My pastor, a man I truly do respect and admire for his faithfulness to and the study of God’s Word, said recently that we should be like Jesus in the sense that He was blunt, that we should no longer beat around the bush because Jesus Himself did not. I respectfully dare to differ, however. He used the meeting with Nicodemus to satisfy his point: Jesus simply said, “A man must be born again…” (John 3:3.) This is being blunt, I guess. But I think the reason Jesus answered so bluntly was because Nick himself had come to Jesus looking for answers. Nick was beyond the point of a seeker, really; he was almost to the point of finding. It’s one thing to be bluntly honest with those who want to hear it; it is completely another thing with people who are not yet ready and who do not yet trust you or feel as though you truly love them. Obviously, Nicodemus felt as if he could trust Jesus or else he would not have come. Nick was ready to hear this truth, but not everyone we meet is.

It is not necessary for us to memorize some points and scriptures in order to effectively be able to present the “Gospel” to someone. All that is necessary is for us to love people and be willing to give away some free attention. This will open up doors you have never seen before. The person will see you respect their thoughts and opinions, that you love them and truly want the best for them, and then, after they have seen your faithfulness in simply being like Christ, they will want what you have and be much more willing to hear anything you may say. But sometimes a presentation of the good news of Christ is not even necessary, some people just catch on and start living it and believing it without ever sitting down and saying, “The Sinner’s Prayer.”

So today, be yourself. Do what is doable. Live out your faith in Christ and following after Him. Tell your non-religious friend you’ll pray for them in a hard time. Ask your waitress how life outside of her work is. Ask the people next to you in Starbucks a few questions like: What do you think the difference between religion and spirituality is? Is there a spiritual person you admire? Do you know what the term ‘born again’ means? Has anyone ever tried to ‘save’ you? And then just leave it at that, don’t say anything or preach. If they ask you a question, feel free to answer it. But from now on, let’s “evangelize” by just being ourselves, not forcing ourselves to be people we’re just not. More people will respond to your being real than ever would by your being fake, ‘memorized,’ and religious.

Day and Night...and Hypocrisy

2006-02-24T19:50:00.000-06:00

I just bought Charlie Hall’s new album, Flying Into Daybreak. What a name. It’s truly amazing. And tonight, I got some great pictures of the sunset, and I got to thinking that at the same time the sun is setting in my part of the world, it is rising in another.

Cool thought.

But here’s what I was going to write about: Mark 7:6-7

These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.

Wow…Jesus pretty much says this is the definition of hypocrites. And how many of us know people (or hey, lets look at ourselves) do this exact thing. We love to talk “the talk.” Y’know? We have no problem honoring God with our lips. We can say all the right stuff, talk all the right scriptures. But all of that is pointless if there is no heart that is close to the Lord.

This passage is Jesus repeating a prophesy that Isaiah spoke (found in Isaiah 29:13.) “Their hearts are far from me.” How sad! Let’s make sure our hearts are close to God today and everyday. Be close to Him. He wants your heart. He wants your heart. He wants your HEART! So give it to him and keep it close to His heart as well. Let your heart ache for what His aches for. Let is be moved by what moves His heart. Let your heart be filled with the joy His heart is. Keep your heart close to Him. Be not far from Him…

I love to worship. I love it. I love cool praise and worship songs. I love finding words to sing to God that I haven’t thought of before but have always felt with my whole heart. I love it. =) But in this passage, God says that those whose hearts are far from Him worship in vain. There is no obedience. No real heart behind it. It’s worship in vain. It means nothing to Him and His presence is not manifested in our praises when they are praises in vain. The way we make sure our worship is not in vain is to make sure our hearts are close to the Lord and we are not only worshiping but also obeying Him in all areas of life.

Keep your heart close to God today.

what to do with zeal

2006-02-02T18:40:00.000-06:00

I stepped over the line with my zeal yesterday. And last night was a changing point in my life. You know, I'm always talking about change and wanting it, but honestly, I see very little big change in my life. But yesterday was one of those times.

I was a "little" frustrated with church and took it over the line in the name of zeal and passion. I expressed all of these thoughts and feelings to my best friend who supported my ideas, but also corrected me where I needed it (and I did need it.) But I knew I had to do something about all of that stuff, so I took it to God (the one thing I'd been somewhat avoiding for awhile) and laid it at His feet, crawled up in His lap and cried and told Him I wasn't sure what to do with that box at His feet and I needed help. At the moment, I think that box is still at His feet, and I'm still in His lap. But He's telling me some things I need to know before picking that box back up (and probably taking some things out and putting some things in.)

That may make no sense, but that's fine.

I want to fly. I want to travel the world. Head off to any other country than the United States. Everytime I see a plane in the sky, I get this feeling that I can't stay on US soil much longer. haha. Sounds crazy, perhaps, but I really do feel that way. I am believing God for open doors in every aspect of my life (at the moment, my top priorities are a car and a job.) And sooner or later, I will be traveling the world. Telling everyone I see about God's amazing love and grace.

This is outside my house yesterday morning when the sun was coming up.

I am falling more and more in love with the outdoors. It is just great to spend with God and just relax and pray and whatever else you want. I like to take pictures. =) So, spend some time outside today and enjoy life.

Today's Pledge

2006-01-31T21:10:00.000-06:00

I went on a mission trip to New Zealand for a month back in the summer with an organization called Global Expeditions. It is a branch off of a national youth ministry Teen Mania. Teen Mania has a pledge called the Declaration of a World Changer. While I was at the Teen Mania campus and while in New Zealand I memorized this declaration and have said it quite often ever sense. It is a quick summary of how we should truly live like Christ.

Declaration of a World Changer

Today, I will live honorably through my thoughts, actions, and speech. I choose to be full of faith. I will not only be a hearer, but a doer of the Word of God. I will serve before I demand. I will love and not hate, and I will give before I take. Today I commit my life to prayer and ask God for His miraculous power and the strength to do the impossible. I will make godly relationships a priority in my life as I esteem others higher than myself. Today I will live my life in such a way that I will change the world.

Psalm 25

2006-01-30T17:26:00.000-06:00

I really do want to get in the habit of writing again. I go through spurts of wanting to write and not wanting to write. But it’s honestly a good discipline for me to have. So here’s what’s up for today…

Psalm 25

This is by far one of my favorite psalms of David. He expresses so much I try to express but can’t find the words to in not only this psalm but also so many others. He starts it off with a dedication, surrender to God:

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul,

Every single morning these need to be the first words out of our mouth. To God and to God alone we lift up our soul—our mind, our will, our emotions, our entire being to Him. Check out verses 4 and 5:

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

If there is any way we need to walk in everyday, it is God’s way. His way leads to an abundant, full, blessed, meaningful life. And yes, our hope should be in Him all day long. No matter what goes on around us, we stand firm because our hope is in Him and Him alone. Not in ourselves or our own ability or our circumstances, simply in Him and His unconditional, never-failing love. There is a prerequisite for us to fully walk in His way, however. This is seen in verse 9:

He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

God wants to lead us in His way so that we fulfill all the plans He has for us but we cannot do this until we give up our own way and stop being prideful in the least bit. He desires for us to be humble and know that we can’t do this on our own. He desires us to be completely and wholly dependent on Him. When we are broken and humble at His feet, He will teach us His way of doing things. This leads to one other thing in verse 14:

The Lord confides in those who fear him…

God tells secrets. But only to those are totally dedicated and surrendered to Him—the humble, those who fear, love, adore and serve Him. Want to know some of the deeper things of God and His Word? Start living in His way and fearing Him. And one last thing that doesn’t really go along with the other stuff…

My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.

This is a great thought for me! I love it so much. My eyes are on Him and my eyes aren’t moving off of Him! Because He is the only one who can set me free. My friends can’t, all my Bible studying can’t, and all my attendances at church events or services can’t set me free. Jesus is the only one who can set me free and because of that, my eyes are on Him!

Like Little Children

2006-01-29T17:31:00.000-06:00

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
-Jesus (Mt. 19:14)

You must be like a little child to possess the kingdom of heaven.

I’ll be honest; when someone mentions the word “kid” or “child” I cringe. I’m just not a big fan. My first thought is always a negative one, unfortunately. Of course, when Jesus said this, he wasn’t talking about us being annoying, rude, gross, disobedient or any of the other negative things we think of when we think of children. In fact, Paul warns against us being like children in this sense (1 Cor. 13:11.) But here, Jesus is mentioning something much deeper than meets the eye.

There are many characteristics children display that we tend to lose, as we get older. These concepts are what Jesus was saying we should have so we could be in and possess the kingdom.

Children are very imaginative. I remember growing up; playing outside by myself I always had a story going on that I was apart of. I wouldn’t just jump on trampoline (how boring!) I pretended I was in the Olympics, participating for the gold medal in trampoline acrobatics. I was always dreaming of something.
We need to always be dreaming and imagining of what we can do next with our life. Just because we are in one certain spot in our life does not mean it cannot be exciting or we cannot move on to something even better. Maybe the thought of dreaming of something more than what you’re live now brings discomfort. Great! I firmly believe for my own life that I will not be in the same spot for very long. I get much too apathetic when that happens. So dream, my friend!

You’ve probably noticed that kids are always willing to help with something. I know my little sister always wants to help me bake cookies. If everyone in the body of Christ was like little children in this way, there would never be a shortage of people to help in any ministry area, and I do believe many more people would be apart of the kingdom of God because they would take the initiative to witness instead of standing idly by.

Another thing about children are they normally trust very easily. Especially when it comes to one of their parents. If a child is told that if they do something, their parents will do something special for them, they totally believe it! (Unless, of course, that trust has been broken on account of the parent not keeping his or her word.) But God will never take back His Word. You may have heard it before but, “If God said it, that settles it!” His Word will always stand true and faithful and one of the things God cannot do is go back on His Word.
Let’s trust God like little children. Take Him at His Word and simply believe. He says He will never forsake the righteous and the righteous’ children will never go begging for bread (see Ps. 37:25), and if you’ve been washed by Jesus’ blood, you are righteous! There are so many promises in God’s Word that we don’t possess because we don’t take them and believe, instead we doubt and do not have what He says we can have.

In the coming week, find a way to remind yourself that you need to be like a child. God appreciates and expects us to dream our hearts out, always be willing to do things and obey Him and to trust Him with our whole heart.

Not Just for Pastors

2006-01-25T22:16:00.000-06:00

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” –Col. 3:16

Teach and admonish one another. But FIRST, let the word of Christ dwell in you. This is a great concept that we do not think about or live out all that much.

If you and I have the Word in us (the written Word and the living Word, Jesus) we have all we need to teach others. We do not always have to wait on a “minister” (ordained or not), a pastor, or any kind of “positional” leader in the church to teach us. We can start right away teaching others, encouraging others and growing together.

I think this is one of the ideas that has started the somewhat new, “small group” ministries in mid to large size churches. At least in the small group I attend, we do have a “leader” but she is not the one who runs the whole thing or speaks the whole time. It is discussion and interaction; us common folk (well, common in the sense we do not have a title per se) teach each other.

So today…YOU teach and admonish someone else!

Interpreting the Times

2006-01-21T20:04:00.000-06:00

Luke 12:54-56
He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

When was the last time you took time out to interpret this “present time?” How about the last time you took time out of church, your Bible study, your daily routine to look at what is going on around you?

Many people who follow Christ can easily get so focused in on one thing they lose sight of what is going on in the world around them. It should be a Christian discipline to look at what is going on in the world because in many ways we are just like the crowd Jesus was speaking to here. No doubt these were God-fearing Jews who held to the strictest guidelines of the Law, and we’re not far from acting like them in our own life most of time (which isn’t a bad thing…if we were half as dedicated to living like Jesus as they were to following the Law, things would be much different.) They were wrapped up in their own things, as we are in ours, and they couldn’t even interpret the present time, what was going on right then.

So what is going on in our present time? Of course, a lot could be said here, but there’s one huge thing I am focusing on in my life right now—my generation (Generation Y) is being faced with some of the most perverse, corrupt, damaging, (dare I say demonic) entertainment, advertising, media, etc. Let’s look at some examples:

iPod Porn-It took 24 hours for the adult entertainment industry to jump on the bandwagon after the new video iPod was released. And oh how many teens have this gadget…

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas: Slitting cops throats, prowling for prostitutes…and oh, a secret code releases a mini game where you can simulate sex. (This was the top selling video game in 2004 compared to in 1984, the Super Mario Brothers was the to selling video game.)

Real World: MTV reality show that features 4 women and 3 men living together (this leads to much bed-hopping, hetero- and homosexual.) And there’s more, but I won’t go there.

These are only a few; the list could go on and on. I just want to get the point across that much is being thrown at my generation that cannot be compared to any other generation. We are being faced with things no other generation has been, and therefore, measures must be taken that have never been taken before.

I am calling for the followers of Christ in my generation to rise up against this junk and stand for righteousness and godliness. I’m calling for us to give up the “game of minimum integrity” and “reach for the stars.” To have “holiness that hurts the eyes” (see The Vision by Pete Greig.) But that is a discussion for another time.

What I want YOU to get out of this is I need your help. My generation needs your help. We need your love, support, prayers, whatever you can give us. There is a place for everyone in this battle. And yes, it is a battle. It is a battle against all the ungodliness of the world that is so trying to pervade the hearts and minds of people my age. And what is sad is most teens have no idea what is truly going on. If they could all see the spiritual realm when it comes to this thing, they would begin to understand. But so many are naïve. It is time for us to rise up and fight; to stop standing idly by on the sidelines of the war, to stop being mamsy-pamsy Christians (as my youth pastor says) and start fighting against this.

I want you to be aware of what is going on. My generation is in a terrible position. At the current rate of evangelism, 4% of my generation will be Bible-believing followers of Jesus Christ. This has to change! I will not rest until it does.

It is time we interpret the times and do something about it!

Visit www.battlecry.com for information on the battle and what you can do about it.

New Beginnings: 2006

2005-12-31T17:48:00.000-06:00

I love it when one year clicks over to the next. I’m not sure why. Maybe I’ll stop liking it when I get older because I’ll know my life is going by too quickly, but right now, at the age of 16, I love it because it signifies the past is behind me, and I’m pressing forward. There is much I want to learn and live in 2006 and none of it do I want to pass by. One of my theme songs for 2006 is “The Way I was Made” by Chris Tomlin. Here are some of the lyrics—

I want to live like there’s no tomorrow. I want to dance like no one’s around. I want to sing like nobody’s listening, before I lay my body down. I want to give like I have plenty. I want to love like I’m not afraid. I want to be the man (or, woman) I was meant to be. I want to be the way I was made.

Amazing. I want my entire life to be described like that.

Let’s look at Isaiah 52:12-“But you will not leave in haste or go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

God is before me. He’s showing me His ways, His paths. He is leading me into His plans for my life. I am looking forward to 2006 being the best year of my 16 years.

God is behind me. He is protecting me from the past, but also causing me to learn from my past. He was with me all throughout 2005, and I have to say it was the best year of my life so far. I learned many vital lessons and experienced many wonderful things. It was hard and I was stretched. I was required to sacrifice many comforts and things I held dear but through it, I came into a more intimate relationship with God and a more active Christian lifestyle to reach the lost.

So, as you enter into 2006, whatever resolutions you may make or plans you may dive into, remember that God has proved Himself in your life in the past. Do not doubt Him in this coming year and allow Him so stretch, challenge, cut, add-to and mold you throughout everything that happens this year. By the end of it, let us all be able to look back and say that we are living more fully and loving more sacrificially than ever before.

Ephesians Prayer #1

2005-12-29T22:31:00.000-06:00

This prayer in Ephesians is a very powerful one that I want to pray for myself and the one’s I love everyday. Think about the words and the extent of their meaning.

Ephesians 1:17-19

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation…”

Here Paul prays that the believers would be given the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. The Amplified Bible says, “spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets]” I don’t think Paul is talking about a literal ‘other spirit’ but the Holy Spirit working in us as the spirit of wisdom and revelation, helping us understand God’s Word and the things God tells us on an individual basis which is backed up by God’s Word. Paul states right afterwards why Christians should be filled with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation:

“so that you may know him better…”

We begin to know God more and more when we have the spirit of wisdom and revelation working in our lives to help us understand the things of God more.

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe…”

We all need our hearts to be enlightened to the truth. Many times we cannot see the things God is trying to show us to help our lives turn in the direction he knows is best for them to go. Many times I find myself praying this prayer for friends I know who are having a hard time seeing what is really going on in their life because it is easy for us to be oblivious to things in our own lives that others can see quite clearly (oh how many times that’s been the case for me! =) But in the context Paul says this, he is asking God to enlighten Christians’ hearts so they can see the hope that they truly have in Christ Jesus no matter what the circumstances are.

Justice and Righteousness

2005-12-28T12:33:00.000-06:00

I am reading The Vision and the Vow right now and much has stirred up in me since I started it (don’t worry it’s the not the spiritual high thing, I figured that out a long time ago.) No, what God’s been showing me through this book is very much real and permanent. The one thing I want to concentrate on today is a passage from Amos and a passage from Isaiah.

I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! -Amos 5:21-24

Read it over. This is one of God’s challenges to our generation of believers. We’re great at having modern worship songs and music. We’re great about having “assemblies”--conferences, services, retreats, etc. But how great are we when it comes to justice for the poor and the oppressed? How righteous are we really?

One thing Pete Greig focuses on in this book is obedience--discipline (discipleship.) He says it is easy for us to love Jesus as our friend, trust Him as our Savior but “reluctantly do we obey Him as Lord.” So, as God says through Amos, to us today—“let justice roll on like a river” and “righteousness like a never-failing stream!” and let us not be afraid to walk in both intimacy and involvement.

…If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf on the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. –Isaiah 48:9-10

Wow. All those ministries trying to be light in the darkness, never quite being it and wondering why—this is the answer. We think our spectacular worship services, our lights, our big screen, our media, our technology, or whatever will be the light in the darkness. But God says…No, it’s none of that. I simply want you to do away with the yoke of oppression. I want you to stop pointing fingers. I want you to stop the malicious talk. And here’s what I DO want you to do—spend your money, your time, your energy, your efforts on behalf of the hungry. And then satisfy the needs of the oppressed, the imprisoned, the orphans, and the emotionally, physically and spiritually abused. When you do that, people will start to notice you and the God you serve.

So…today, let us meet the needs of those around us. Let us follow the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40-“…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” And let’s not only do this today, but everyday, every chance we get.

The One Event

2005-12-21T23:33:00.000-06:00

#1
#2 #3

So here's my idea that I have not shared with anyone I know yet!

I want to do an event in my area of Oklahoma that brings all the youth of the churches in my area together for one weekend to be united....not just for the weekend, but for all time. I would love to do it in different areas of the Oklahoma City area and then have one HUGE event after all of those. Make sense?

It would be a weekend to unite together to reach the lost and save our generation...Not just for the weekend. The weekend would only be the starting point of something much greater.

It's just that I hate how the Body of Christ is divided in the generation that is in leadership right now and as I feel called and led to lead my generation, I don't want that to be the case, and any difference I can make, I want to.

So, feel free to give me ideas, criticism, encouragement, whatever. Oh! And tell me which of the above looks are the best. Thanks!

It's Time to Break Down the Walls

2005-12-21T17:55:00.000-06:00

I don’t know when or where it happened. And I’m not exactly sure why. But I know it’s messed up.

See, I’ve grown up in church. For the first 11 or so years of my life I went to a denominational church but am now a member of an “inter-denominational” group of believers. I must say I like to say I’m apart of this group more than the first because it doesn’t really single me out—which I like because I simply want to be known as a follower of Christ, not a Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of Christ, Christian Church, Lutheran, Catholic, Pentecostal, or whatever else there is out there. I have nothing in particular against any of these denominations except one minor thing (which even my “inter-denominational” church is guilty of)---DIVISION.

Jesus Christ did not establish the Church divided. He established the Church united, but somewhere along the way, someone decided, we should not all be of one heart and mind like the early Church was (Acts 4:32) but all go our separate ways and do things and believe the way we each individually think we should do or believe.

Don’t get me wrong; I know not all followers of Christ will believe the exact same way, but I do think there is little effort done to unite the Body of Christ. I don’t know about other states but here in Oklahoma, in some parts you can’t go one mile without seeing another church building. There is one corner in particular that I pass on my way to my church building that has three churches: a Baptist church, a Church of Christ and a Christian Church. Is there no desire to be united? Is there no desire to be of one mind and heart? Is there no desire to follow the words of God through the apostle Paul when he said:

“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another…” Why? “so that there may be NO DIVISION among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.”-1 Cor. 1:10 (emphasis mine)

THAT is weird. I do think that is the farthest thing from where Christians are today, and the crazy thing is, I never hear anything about it. It’s like everyone is perfectly happy in his or her own denomination, leaving everyone else alone (although that rarely happens, usually denominations dog on other denominations.)

I am truly learning to respect people who have a slight difference in their beliefs than I do. But just because I have a little different belief in some areas doesn’t mean I can’t encourage them and live as though I really am their sister in Christ.

Paul has much more to say about division in the Body of Christ:

“You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?”-1 Cor. 3:3
“Make EVERY EFFORT to keep the unity of the Sprit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”-Eph. 4:3-6 (emphasis mine)

How in the world could God be clearer in this area? He desires all of his followers to be ONE. The things mentioned in Eph. 4 are the things that are essential to belief in Christ and all true believers have those things in common: One body (the people of Christ), one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. If I have those things in common with the Baptist or Methodist or Nazarene down the street, we should get along just fine!

So to be completely honest, I hate denominations. I hate the thought of the body of Christ being so deceived by the enemy. I do not doubt at all that denominational splits in the Body of Christ are truly a scheme by Satan. He wants us to think it is right and proper for us to be split because we think differently in a few little areas. He wants those petty differences to override our universal belief as followers of Christ: Jesus Christ came, died and rose again to save us from our sins, give us victory over sin and death, and to give us a purpose to even be alive.

All of us need to start focusing on the similarities we have with our brothers and sisters in Christ instead of letting our differences get in the way. And I am so inspired by this idea from God’s Word, I’ve got some ideas I want to put in place to bring followers of Christ together as One. I hope you take this responsibility upon yourself as well.

My Today Determines My Tomorrow

2005-12-19T21:47:00.000-06:00

I once heard a statement that has absolutely revolutionized my life. It’s absolutely amazing and very deep. I posted it on my wall for a while, and I need to put it up again. It is phenomenal and transforming. Are you ready for it? Here it is: Every choice I make is a preview of my future.

Simple, huh? Maybe it isn’t as revolutionizing to you as it was to me. But for me, it has changed how I think about most things. Why? Because I dream big dreams for my future. I mean, BIG. I want to speak in front of thousands. I want to write. I want to have a worldwide ministry that reaches the lost, helps the hurting and encourages the believers. But none of that will happen if I do not make the choices today that will lead to that tomorrow. I’m pretty sure the person who said the above has read Galatians 6:7.

…A man reaps what he sows.

If all followers of Christ could get a revelation on this subject, I do believe our lives would be drastically different. It seems as though many Christians want to live life according to their flesh, but end up with good results. Or, they want “to eat the good of the land” but they are not “willing and obedient.” (Isaiah 1:19) We must realize the importance of our every decision. Because that decision will effect something later on. Whether it’s as simple as what we choose to eat or what career we choose to pursue. This can be as small or big as you’d like--the principle does not change.

So what are you doing today to get the results you want for tomorrow? Take a look at the decisions you have made recently. Do they look like what you want for your life? Are you making decisions today that are helping you fulfill your dreams tomorrow? If not, you should start doing so. We only have one life to live. Why wait until tomorrow to start making the right choices for our future?

Because God has given me such big dreams for my future, I have to push myself to make the decisions today that will help me fulfill those dreams. It’s easy for me to think, “Oh, Meghan, you’re still a teenager. When you hit about 20, you can start making the decisions that will help you birth you dreams.” The thing with that is I want to step into my dreams ASAP. And I’m already on my way there. If I were to stop now and take it back up when I hit 20, I’d be way behind! And I am not a patient person when it comes to my dreams. =)

Right now, take a good look at what decisions you’ve made recently and ask yourself whether they’re moving you forward in your relationship with God and into all His purposes for you or if they’re just meaningless and not getting you anywhere. My friends, there is no time to waste in this life. Make every moment, every day, every decision push you into all the dreams God has placed inside of you.

The Spirit of Truth

2005-12-17T02:07:00.000-06:00

Cappuccino. A peanut butter cookie (unfortunately a tad bit hard). My Bible. The computer. Some Delirious? in the background. I’m set to go.

I’ve been truly following Christ now for 2 years and 3 months. It doesn’t sound like very long, but it’s hard for me to imagine how it’s only been that long. So much has happened. I’ve grown in so many ways and the Spirit of Truth has revealed many a thing to me about my life.

There is much talk in the Word about Truth. John 16:13 states, “but when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth….” This is obviously talking about the Holy Spirit so when I say, ‘Spirit of Truth’, I’m really just stating one of the ways the Holy Spirit works. He shows us truth we have not and could not see on our own, by our own perspective.

Many times when we look at our lives from our own perspective, we see things simply the way we want to see them, not necessarily the way they really are. I think many people are actually living what I would call an “unreal” life. They are faking most of their life. They fake their relationship with God. They fake their joy. They fake their peace or contentment. Why would people do this? Because they want others to feel like they’ve got it all together? Maybe. But I have another option: The way their life is now, is comfortable.

I know from my own experience I have faked some of my relationships were great and beneficial while really they were dragging me down. And it wasn’t that I was even faking other people in my life this was the truth—I was faking myself. Everyone around me knew the real truth, but I believed my own fake truth. And for the life of me, I could not convince myself otherwise. I was so self-deceived I needed the Holy Spirit working as the Spirit of Truth to convince me otherwise. But this could not happen until I opened my life up to him and let him search all the ‘rooms’ in my ‘house.’

Perhaps you’ve convinced yourself that your spouse is the one who needs to change and not you. Or maybe you’re believing this is really the career you want to pursue when in all actuality, you’re not fulfilling the dreams God has given you, you’re simply in it for money. Is it possible you’ve told yourself you’re over a certain situation but in reality you only think you are over it? Or it could be any number of other lies you believe about your life. You need to invite the Spirit of Truth to come reveal the truth to you.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”-John 8:32

The truth is about wholeness. When you and I believe Satan’s lies or our own lies, we are not whole. We are living an incomplete life—life the exact opposite of what Christ died to give us. Beware of any lies you may believe to protect yourself from any change or discomfort. Allow the truth the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to you set you free. He will not reveal a truth to you that you cannot handle at the moment. He knows you and will reveal truths as you can deal with them. But do not be afraid to deal with them when he reveals them. Dealing with them is a sign of maturity and desire to move forward in your walk with God.

Why live a life that is fake when you can face the truth head-on, deal with reality and move on to bigger and better things for your life?

[Meghan Fife enjoys anything coffeeish and loves the middle of the night because it’s quiet.]

True Religion

2005-12-15T22:53:00.000-06:00

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”-James 1:27 (NIV)

Wow. That’s weird. I’ve tried to be outspoken about my ‘hate’ for that word-- religion. But I guess I should really start hating on “false” religion instead of just religion. Because there is a true religion that makes a difference in people’s lives, which is what I’ve always thought ‘religion’ should do anyway. I know I’ve read and heard this verse many times before, but it’s just now hit me.

The other day on my way home, I had a random thought about a homeless person sitting at the end of the exit off the interstate. And I thought to myself, “If someone is there, I’d love to buy them some food at the Sonic right there because I actually have money for once!” To my utmost surprise there he was. Sitting at the stop sign off at the end of the exit holding a sign that read, “Hungry. Can you help?” He wasn’t asking for money or a ride. He wanted food. And I had money to buy him some. What I did next I am still kicking myself over! I didn’t stop. I didn’t roll my window down and say, “Go up to Sonic, I’d love to buy you some food.” I just went on.

Since then I have thought much about this incident and tried to figure out why I didn’t do something. In my own heart, I know it was God who gave me the thought about the man sitting there in the first place. God tried to teach me a lesson that day and if I would have obeyed Him, I would have learned that lesson. But I didn’t…I didn’t obey. And now I must be taught that lesson again. And no doubt I will be tested once again. Hopefully, I will pass so I can begin to perfect that area of my life.

And the last thing in James 1:27 says that true religion is to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. It’s not hard to see that there truly is much pollution in this world. Turn the TV on, check out the movie listings in the paper, turn on the radio, walk down the street, go to work, school, the mall! It’s everywhere. It should not surprise us because Satan does rule this world for the time being. So how, as Christian, do we keep ourselves from being polluted by the world? Is there some magical formula we set into place and poof! we’re free from ever being polluted again!

Sorry, but the answer is no. There is no formula for this. We live in the world and we cannot get away, and by no means does God intend us to. He needs us hear to be salt and light to those in need of Him and for us to try to close the world out from us would be sinful. But the key is to keep yourself in the Word and live by it because they truly are God’s words to us to help us live this life on earth in victory and power and righteousness for His name’s sake and to bring many people into His kingdom.

Don’t be one of those mundane, complacent, only-escaping-hell kind of Christians. There are many things followers of Christ don’t do because they know it’s wrong, but there are few who do things because they are right. That’s the difference. 2 Corinthians 6:17 states-“Therefore, come out from them. Be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” Be separate. Do not just separate from evil, but separate TO good for the Kingdom.

And, in that way, experience true religion.

Learning from Someone Else's Mistakes

2005-12-05T19:12:00.000-06:00

One of the interesting things about life, to me anyway, is that we do not always have to make the wrong decision in order to learn a lesson (although I do agree experience is many times the best teacher.) It is possible to learn from another’s mistake. I have learned many things from other people’s sound advice and wisdom regarding things they have done and learned from or heard about and learned from. Thankfully, because of those things, I have avoided some bad decisions—not all of them. I have made some bad one’s and eventually learned from them, but sometimes I had to make the wrong decision again and again before God got it through my head.

Sp it is necessary for all of us as followers of Christ to regularly examine ourselves. We all need to examine our hearts (the deep depths of them), our motives, our words, our thoughts, and our actions very often. God makes it evident in His Word that He examines our heart and mind, so we should do the same. Knowing this, there are a few things that Paul states in a letter to the Corinthians that we need to reflect on and see if they have any place in our lives.

“Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.’ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.”-1 Corinthians 10:7-10 (NIV)

Paul here is talking about the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert (see 1 Cor. 10:1-6.) He simply mentions four things that we need to check in our own lives on a regular basis. So here they are:

Do not be idolaters—Where/on what is our time spent? What are our thoughts constantly on? What do we spend our resources on? One thing I have begun to focus on is the thought that my life on this earth is to be used to get to know God better and to make Him known. This thought helps me to spend my time on things worthy of Him, to keep my thoughts on Him and what He wants me to do, and to spend my resources toward the advancement of His kingdom. If what I am doing, saying, or thinking does not help me know God more or help someone else know God more, then I need to stop doing it or change my attitude about it. This is inevitably a very hard thing to do and some may think it unreasonable. But I do believe that it is possible to do things that are enjoyable (music, a movie, family-time, a walk late at night or whatever else) and use it to know God more. It is all about our motive behind the things that we do. Beware you do not put anyone, anything or any thought above God Himself.

We should not commit sexual immorality—This is one of those things that all Christians know. And it is usually not hard for us to know whether we are committing sexual immorality or not. But nonetheless, Paul tells us to check ourselves in this area. We could be sexual immoral by our thoughts, our words or our actions. The jokes we tell, the way we talk about the opposite sex, what we allow our minds to linger on, or outright by our actions can all be sexually immoral. If the sexual side of us is not lined up with God’s Word and how He tells us to conduct ourselves, we are being sexually immoral and need to deal with that area of our life.

We should not test the Lord—It’s somewhat hard to understand what Paul means by this unless you look at the example of the Israelites. These people were never satisfied with what they had. They tested the Lord over and over by saying this like, “Take us back to Egypt!”, “We want food!”, “We want something else other than bread!”, “We’re thirsty!”, “Can’t I take more than just today’s food so I don’t have to come back out tomorrow?!” The Israelites did not have a thankful heart by any means and were never satisfied with anything God had done for them. It was always, “God, if you really love us, you’ll do this for us…” And it was never enough. Most of them never did realize how much God loved them because they were so greedy and self-centered. As followers of Christ, let us never test God in that manner but always take Him at His Word and be extremely grateful for what He has done, is doing and will do for us to show us His extreme love for us.

Do not grumble—In my mind, this falls under a lot of what testing the Lord is. Let us not be weary of doing good. Let us not complain when someone asks us to do something or when God asks us to do something. Let us be completely satisfied and eager to do what is asked of us. God simply asked the Israelites to go into the Promised Land and do as He said but they complained that they were not strong enough to defeat the enemy. God will always equip us with what we need to complete the plan He has given us. Beyond the spiritual side of things, complaining is annoying, anyway. ;-)

These four things are really simple, and I am going to make an effort to look at myself in these areas everyday. We can learn from others’ mistakes instead of making our own.

Revelation

2005-11-22T13:49:00.000-06:00

1 Samuel 3:7-“Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.” (NIV)

For too long I’ve tried to get people to know God on my own. I’ve experienced a life-giving God, a God who makes me stand in wonder and awe, a God who has brought me up from the pits, a God who has given me joy, a God who is enough for me. And I didn’t come to experience this God by listening to someone teach or preach or even by singing a song. I experienced this God when I dived into His Word on my own and saw how absolutely amazing He really is. And once I realized that, I had to tell everyone else. I forgot that no one’s words had brought me to experience God so why should my words do that for anyone else?

I’m not bashing preaching or teaching God’s Word. It’s not that at all. I delight in listening to people talk about God and His Word. I could listen to it all day long. But that in itself is not what brought me to know the Lord. God had to give me a personal revelation. It took my stepping out and believing that God wanted to reveal something to me, but it was ultimately His doing, not my own.

See, I get frustrated with churched teenagers these days because it seems as though even though they have grown up hearing God’s Word taught, sitting in Sunday School, memorizing Scriptures, singing songs and praying to God, they still do not know God. I was one of those teens until about two years ago when God revealed Himself and His Word to me. And from that moment on, I have not been the same because I now "know the Lord" in a more real way than I ever have before. It was revelation knowledge from God Himself that changed my life, not church programs or Sunday School. Church things are good for head knowledge and the like, but not for a life-change. Only God himself can bring a life-change. Church services were never meant to be the thing that met an individual’s spiritual needs. Jesus Christ is the one who should be meeting those kinds of needs, so if we want spiritual needs met, we must turn to Him.

Ephesians 1:17-“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” (NIV)

Most Christians today need a new revelation from God on their need of grace. You cannot accept God’s grace until you know just how much you need it. So if you find yourself in a spot with God where you see no need for a relationship with Him and you do not understand the “abundant life” that He promises, ask God to give you a revelation. If Samuel needed God’s revelation, how much more do we?

And don’t just ask for a revelation, but seek one. Put yourself out there to accept the revelation God wants to give you. There is much that God wants to reveal to us, let us accept it with open arms and forever be changed.

Revolution.

2005-11-15T20:37:00.000-06:00

So I ordered, got, and read George Barna's latest book, Revolution in the course of about 2 weeks (it took a week or so to get in.) It was A-MAZING. I loved it. I'm actually about it to read it again and take notes this time. It spills out in words everything I've been thinking and feeling for the past couple years.

The crazy thing about the word, "Revolution" is that God gave me that word (that sounds pretty dadgum religious, but hey) while I was watching an Oklahoma State football game a year ago. During a commercial I saw chevrolet's "new" motto-An American Revolution. When I saw that, I thought to myself that if anything needs revolutionized it is the Church today....not the church building. The Church. The Body of Christ. The PEOPLE who claim to be followers of Christ.

We're the one's who need a revolution.
What is a revolution? A complete, pervasive, radical change that happens rather quickly.

Let me tell you...a revolution is brewing and has already started taking place in the Body of Christ today. I've been working with that kind of mindset for the past year and it is quickly picking up speed. I am no longer satisfied with the way we do church services. I think they are, for the most part, irrelevant to the world today and to this generation.

I have expressed my views and opinions and thoughts to many people. Many agree. Many don't. The ones who do agree seem to be the ones who have stayed in the Word more than others and who are not easily influenced by anyone else. They take into consideration others' opinions but are not changed by it. Because these people stand with me on this idea for the most part, I feel much more confident with the stand than I have in the past. I thought I was the only one who was frustrated with church services or church leadership or lack of relevancy or sunday school. But I'm not. Thankfully.

There is hope for the church yet. My generation will be in leadership tomorrow. In fact, we are already in leadership because leadership is simply influence and my generation definitely has much influence.

The key to this revolution is making God the center of all we do. If we're at church, school, work, home...wherever. If we can begin to integrate TRUE spirituality into our lives where our spirtual input and output is mainly OUTSIDE of the church building, we'll begin to see a revolution take place. One that will not be taken back but will make a permanent difference on society and the Church today.

Nothing I say will be as good as what Barna has said in his book. Check it out. It's amazing stuff. You will not regret it.

What are we to do?

2005-10-14T17:35:00.000-05:00

In light of some of the recent (and upcoming) talk happening in Oklahoma, I feel compelled to write. My first and FOREMOST point is this—God does NOT hate homosexuals, lesbians, or soldiers from the US in Iraq.

Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, KS obviously believe God does though, and they want to tell the whole world. They somehow thing that picketing will help change people’s minds. Newsflash: It doesn’t!

It angers me to a most holy anger to think people posing as Christians will: 1.) State that God HATES anyone, 2.) Picket at a funeral of a solider or picket a church during service, 3.) Shoot down a born-again believer for standing up for what is right. And this list could go on, but I simply want to get a point across that these people are not portraying Jesus’ love, compassion, mercy, grace or kindness in any way at all. They simply want to draw attention to themselves and bring other people down any way they can. I do not know why they do the things they do, but I don’t agree (and it’s not even about whether I agree or not. It’s asking the question how Jesus would act in this situation.)

If you would like to know more about Westboro Baptist Church, their picketing “ministry” or anything else, www.godhatesfags.com is their church website. They are scheduled to be at First Southern Baptist Del City this Sunday morning (October 16th) at 9:30 am. They will be there picketing because Representative Paul Wesselhoft attends church their and they believe he is a “Balaamite.”

The following is a flier of sorts advertising their picket at 1st Southern this Sunday:
WBC to picket Rep/Rev Paul Wesselhoft—the Oklahoma Balaamite (Balaam: demon-possessed, demagogic, ambitious preacher-politician who taught the children of Israel to sin: [scripture])—and the sodomite whorehouse masquerading as the First Southern Baptist Church of Del City—at 9:30 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 16, at 6400 Sooner Rd., Oklahoma City, Okla.—in religious protest and warning—“God is not mocked!” God hates fags & fag-enablers! Ergo, God hates opportunistic Arminian heretics like Paul Wesselhoft and the unscriptural leper colonies and dog kennels masquerading as churches—who have collectively created a hellish zeitgeist wherein the sinful, abominable homosexual lifestyle now flourishes in America.

All of that to simply make you aware of where some people, like Westboro Baptist Church, stand concerning this kind of thing. But the point of this is not to hate on them. That turns me into the same kind of person they are. I love them and hope and pray they turn to God and see Him for who He really is. The point of this is to challenge you and me to love everyone. EVERYONE. Not just other believers. Not just the homosexuals, but everyone--the gays, the Baptists, the bi-sexuals, the crack heads, the Goths, the Nazarenes, the non-denominational, the single mothers, the orphans, the widows, the people that hate on other people. Will you love?

“Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as He did.”-1 Jn. 2:6
Jesus ratted on the believers and religious more than he did those who weren’t. He didn’t mind hanging out with the “bad people.” But He hated being around the overly-religious. I love it. I love Jesus. He’s too cool.

So go out…love. And God, help me love Westboro Baptist Church, because right now I’m having a hard time with it.

Why?

2005-09-17T20:46:00.000-05:00

This is a more specific entry about my church, but still interesting:

Sometimes churches can flat-out suck. But we should expect this, correct? It's run by a lot of non-perfect, trying to be perfect people who are more than likely going about trying to be perfect all the wrong way. I personally get sick and tired of dealing with the church (yes, MY church) sometimes. Could I do it better? Probably not. But I would sure as heck hope to and I know God's training me now to do that.

**I'm not dogging on anyone. I love the leadership above me. I respect them, but do not always agree with them**

Next weekend is our annual Disciple-Now event. This will be the 3rd year we've had it at Impact, and it honestly looks to be worse than last year. No, I'm not trying to be negative. I'm just looking at the facts. I pray it's good and all goes well and people's lives are radically changed forever. So let me explain why I think it's gonna be bad--

1.) It's another religious event: The Church in general LOVES to have events. We love it. We love doing something fun or religious in the name of Christ or getting people saved or maturing Christians. What's the point? We spend more $$ on ourselves than the lost or the widow or the orphan. We usually suck at using money wisely in the church. We'd rather pay $700 for a speaker to come in and speak to Christians who have heard it all before than buy the homeless some watermelon or clothes. This point kind of plays into all the points, so keep reading...

2.) We suck at advertising. This is not any one person's fault. The entire leadership at Impact should be involved in this. Taking it into school's, the streets, calling up past visitors, making fliers and other material to pass out. I know I haven't played my part in advertising D-Now this year, and I offer no excuse. But I have not seen anyone else, even the leadership do much of anything. Yea, make cards. That's great. But without info on them it's not gonna do that much good, yo. No phone number, no explanation of what D-Now is to someone who has never heard of it, no anything. Just "D-Now", Sept. 22-25. Yay! So no one's gonna be there except the few and faithful (and even some of those aren't coming for a reason I will state in a minute). And you know I'm right. And what good is that gonna do? Yea! Let's get those 10 faithful leaders all pumped up to change the community and church! We don't care about quantity anyway! Just quality! *rolls eyes* No substance.

3.) It costs 35 bucks! (early bird, mind you. $45 the week of!) Exactly what is my money going toward?! The speaker? He's only speaking TWICE! The band? They're only playing TWICE! Food? Yea, some of that. The, "Amazing Race" or whatever? Maybe. That'll be fun, I'm sure. And that is one thing I am excited about. But that isn't gonna get anyone saved or even bring us closer together. We're all pretty close as it is. Lower the price. It might attract more people. That's why some of your "faithful ten" aren't even coming. Other churches average around $25 early-bird and $35 week of. We're outta the loop. Maybe it's cause in the 2nd quarter we've spent almost $8,000 on who knows what. No changes we can see anyway. So do you know what that means? It was more than likley 8,000 bucks down the drain.

4.) Malcomb Myers is only speaking twice: Malcomb is amazing. Forget the small groups. I hate those. Most do. Why? 'Cause it's pointless material about living a Christian life that we've ALL HEARD BEFORE. No power or Holy Spirit mentioned. It was just all pointless last year. Malcomb Myers knows his stuff though. So let us hear him more than twice! My life was changed one night when he was speaking. No lives are changed during small groups, especially when you have leaders you don't know. Which brings me to #5.

5.) Don't pay leaders to come in when you have your own right here! I hated having leaders last year that I had never met before and will never talk to again. The first year, I had Amy T. and it was the best year so far! Why? Because that weekend I started a relationship with her that I still have to this day, and you all know the difference that has made in my life. So don't give us leaders we don't know, who are going to try to teach us stuff we already know and don't really know us. Give us our own leaders. Maybe we can actually start developing some relationships in that area.
I could probably go on, but I won't in that area. PLEASE DON'T GET ME WRONG in any of this. I am still looking forward to this weekend and am praying that I can help people out more than me be helped out. I'm sure it'll be a fun weekend, and hopefully things will all go well. I just wish we planned a little better and thought more about why we're doing what we're doing and would stop wasting so much money and time. Don't think that after me saying all this, I hate my church and my youth ministry and all the people who make decisions. No way! I love them to death and love being around them. I am not leavin any time soon! I just wish we would do more important, life-changing things instead of just some events. Y'know?

Reality.

2005-09-03T00:45:00.000-05:00

Torn between two worlds, I sometimes get stuck in between. Maybe I’m the only one like this, I don’t know. But it’s like, there’s my world…with my friends, family, school, church, events, parties, movies, food, bed, books, times with God, etc., etc. and then there is this other world…thousands of people laying on the street next to dead people. No food. No water. Families split apart. These are two totally different worlds, and I am drawn to the people of the “other world.” I wish I was there with them. I know it may be dangerous. But I’d do it.

See, I like adventure. I love people. Strangers. Acquaintances. Best friends. Whoever. I just like to know about people’s lives and constantly share with them the hope I have received for myself through Jesus Christ. But when I’m so caught up in my own world, and no one else in my world wants to get out of our own world, I get stuck. Stuck between those I know and love, and those I love. Make sense?

In the midst of all that is going on in the South concerning the after-math of Hurricane Katrina, I am once again reminded of the importance and reality of life itself. God did not put me here just to have fun or find ways to entertain myself. Volleyball. Vacations. Movies. Going out to eat. Meaningless phone conversations. Whatever it may be that might take the place of caring for other people around me (and perhaps not around me), I must never let get in the way. Priorities are huge. What will matter in eternity?

I have one of those bracelets everyone is wearing now, started by Lance Armstrong with the “LiveStrong” thing that says, “Live for Eternity.” I must remind myself of this often. We all must. What will matter when I leave this earth? Not how much I worked on my volleyball skills or how many new restaurants I reviewed or what good movies I saw Fall of 2005. It will matter how much of my time and life I invested into helping others. Whether they are in New Orleans or my next-door neighbor. Some how, some way, if we want to see a generation rise up that is in passionate pursuit after Christ, we must step up to this challenge--the challenge to live in reality. To be real with others, with ourselves, and with God. To love like Jesus loved and to never stop. To have it be our life. This is our call. This is the challenge, my friends.
There is a real reality that most people, and particularly Christians know nothing about. It is time to get acquainted with this reality and start to live in it.

The Picture--Generation Y

2005-08-30T22:36:00.000-05:00

My generation is in crisis. We’re walking on a path to nothingness. NO purpose or reason to stay alive. We’re lost and wandering but refuse to admit it. In very few words, we need help. We will not and cannot survive on our own, going in this same direction.

Just listen to this: On average, the first time we see porn is at the age of 11. 47% of us abuse alcohol and 24% of us have used marijuana in the past 30 days. 4 out of every 10 of us you see on the street have cut ourselves because we are in so much emotional pain.

At the current rate of evangelism, only 4% of us will be born-again, true and honest, followers of Christ. Now would be a good time to let you know that the current generation of adults says that only 36% of them are followers of Christ. If 36% of them are Christians and things are like they are now, what will things look like at 4%?

Please, let me get away from statistics. Because that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to give you a picture of my generation.

Right now, as you read this, there is a 16-year-old girl that weighs 105 pounds that thinks she is fat, so she isn’t eating breakfast, lunch or dinner and is exercising in excessive amounts everyday. Her body will eventually eat itself away and become nothing, like she already believes is her purpose in life…nothing. A teenage boy is overdosing on the drugs in his cabinet because he has no friends and his family hates him. A couple that has been dating for only 2 months are in bed together, for the girl to only wake up to being alone. She turns to self-mutilation because she hates herself, thinking there is something wrong with her.

We are a hurting generation. We are in the midst of a battle and have been wounded. We’re bleeding—many times from our own hands. We don’t know how to handle everything being thrown at us in movies, video games, music. The sex, violence, drugs. No wonder we’re so dark and depressed. No wonder we hear about people from my generation going in and shooting the people they’ve been with every day at school. No wonder we kill ourselves. No wonder. Searching for love, satisfaction and purpose in everything and everyone but the One who can give us all of that—Jesus Christ.

You have a responsibility. You are a Christian. I have a responsibility. I’m a follower of Christ. As despairing as everything seems, there is reason to hope for my generation. That hope is obviously Jesus. If you choose to not engage in this war, my generation will never experience the love of Christ or His beautiful purpose and plan for their life. We will continue on the same dark path we’ve been on to pain and despair. This is not about statistics. This is about souls, lives, faces. That’s when my heart breaks. Looking into that girl’s eyes and seeing the pain, I no longer count her as a stat on a page, but as a soul in dire need of help from the Almighty God who loves and cares for her. But it’s up to you. I cannot save my generation on my own. It takes every single Christian who cares like Jesus does (which should be every single one of us) to fight and sound the alarm to save my generation from being beaten to death by the media and eventually, ourselves. We need you.

Save me.

2005-08-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

I want to write something. But tonight, I can't exactly think straight. Okay...I can't think at all. But whatever.

Right now, I'm reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. Good stuff. No, great stuff. I need to continue it even at this present moment cause right now my focus is way off. Way off.

I need to call my friend that sets me straight when my focus is off. =P Thank God for friends like that. But I hate to call her cause I've got this mentality that I'm supposed to be perfect and she's helped me through so much I don't ever wanna act like I'm back in it. Even if I am. Anyone know what I'm talkin about? Or am I just some crazy, emotional teenage girl that is madly in love with Jesus but doesn't always show it?

I really like abstract stuff. I'm taking a glass and ceramics art class right now in school. It's gonna be fun stuff. Just started a couple days ago.

Okay, I know this was somewhat meaningless and purposeless but I needed to write. So thanks for reading. Maybe soon I'll have something good to post. :-)

Threatened.

2005-07-12T22:11:00.000-05:00

Standing in line to get your food at the church cookout, a group of junior high girls cut right in front of you to be with their friends. Reaction: Frustration. Driving the speed limit, minding your own business, a lady on her way to work swerves around you honking and cuts back in front of you. Reaction: Bitter. Your son says that you should have never bought that shirt. Reaction: Hurt.

Why do we have this kind of mentality? Why do we always feel threatened when it comes to these kinds of situations? Is it natural and normal or is it a feeling we shouldn’t ever have? Is it right to feel threatened when someone cuts you off or when someone degrades you in some way? Did God give us this kind of mentality? Does Satan try to coax us into it so we get mad at that person? Are we justified in our feelings of being threatened? Or should we act as though it never happened? And why in the world is it that big of a deal anyway?

In the beginning, in the Garden, the man and woman were completely secure with themselves. They had nothing to fear, nothing to hide. They were not comparing themselves to anyone. They were simply living life the only way they knew how to live it…unashamedly in the glory of God that was in them and flowing through them.

However, after the fall, we see the man and woman insecure. Afraid and scared, they began to compare themselves to each other. All of a sudden, life turned into a battle to survive. Who could stick it out the longest. Somehow we began to get the idea that I’m better than you or vice versa.

Think about how relational the Bible really is. It’s all about relationships. Between humans and humans. Humans and God. God and Satan. Humans and Satan. And ever since the fall, these relationships have had tension (except God and Satan, they obviously had a little tension before the fall.)

So we have this mentality of being threatened by other people because of our lack of security. If you’re in love with your girlfriend, you have sense of security, worth, importance, but if she leaves, you immediately have a sense of feeling like crap; you are completely insecure and feel worthless. I’ve come to realize that this is probably the way the man and woman felt after they ate of the tree God told them not to eat of. This perfect relationship that brought worth, security and importance to the man and woman had been cut, and they were now on their own to try to find worth, security and importance.

And it’s still the same today. We fight to prove our self better than everyone else. Because if we’re better, if we are nicer, stronger, more good-looking, we have a better chance at staying alive and having someone treat us like we’re worth something than if we weren’t those things.

Sports. School. Beauty pageants. Chess. War. Poker. Most of these are things that take place where one person, or one group of people tries to show themselves better than the others. We feel as though our reputation, our hearts…our lives are being threatened and we must win to stay alive. And if you lose, you are not worth anything. You are not important. You are insignificant to humanity.

But here’s the truth: We were never meant to be competing in the first place. We were never supposed to start comparing ourselves to each other. We were just supposed to be happy with where we are. There was never supposed to be a social ladder. And you weren’t supposed to try to climb it or kick those off that are under you. You were just supposed to be you. And that person over there was just supposed to be himself. God never intended us to feel like our worth (or our lack of it) was being threatened. We were just supposed to have our sense of worth in Him and in our intimate relationship with Him. We were supposed to be defined by Who it was that loved (and loves) us. But we have forgotten God’s love and turned to others’ love…and it is not giving us a very clear picture or definition of who we really are. It cannot do that. It is incapable. But we try anyway.

So the next time you feel anger, bitter, frustrated, or hurt because of what someone did or said about you, remember the beginning. Remember the glory that the man and woman had that caused them to stand secure in everything they did. It wasn’t about anyone or anything else. It was about God in them. It was about God’s pure love for them. And now, it is about God in you and His pure love for you.

__________________________________________________________________________

I must give credit to where credit is due. I definitely didn’t come up with all this on my own. I’m actually reading, “Searching for God Knows What” by Donald Miller right now and much of his book is talking about this exact thing. So I give props to Miller, he has opened my mind and heart to what I did not see before.

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

2005-07-09T23:26:00.000-05:00

I was innocent at one point in my life of this particular crime. Then I was proven guilty. I don't like the fact that I try to be more 'spiritual' than others. In fact, I hate it. In the midst of this knowledge I've gained, I've forgotten love. I've forgotten how to listen instead of talk.

If Jesus were on earth, I do believe He would being hangin' out in the bars and under the bridges with a listening ear to those who are hurting. He would every now and then offer a word of encouragement, but He would simply find a way to heal their hurts. Emotional, physical, spiritual, financial...whatever. But no. I'm too spiritual. I have to be spiritual about everything.

Meeting the needs of others, bringing joy to people's lives, giving them a listening ear...that's Jesus. You want to live like Him? Do that.

I challenge myself everyday to go out of my way that day to help someone. To serve someone. To do something for someone else that I would not normally do. Do I always do this? No. And when I do, it's not enough. I know there must be more I can do.

So I thought I was innocent of being "too spiritual" but I'm not. I've been proven guilty. Now I must turn this lifestyle around and forget this religous mumbo-jumbo and start hitting the road.

There is too many hurting people to bring them a religion. Religion cures nothing. Jesus does.

...Go out in the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet. The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, 'good' and 'bad' regardless...-Matthew 22:8-10

My addiction to reading.

2005-07-09T13:54:00.000-05:00

I know the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. So here it is--I have a problem. Perhaps. I love to read.

Would you like to view the list of books I would love to buy when I get to my local Christian bookstore this afternoon?
-State of the Church 2005 (I would actually have to order this off of barna.org)
-Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller)
-Searching for God Knows What (Donald Miller)
-No Perfect People Allowed (John Burke)
-The Vision and the Vow (Peter Greig)
-Becoming Real (Steven James)
-The Revolutionary Communicator (Erik Lokkesmoe and Jedd Medefind)
-Red Moon Rising (Peter Greig and Dave Roberts)
-Coffeehouse Gospel (Matthew Turner)
-The Relevant Church (Mike Howerton)
-The Barbarian Way (Erwin McManus)
-Summoned to Lead (Leonard Sweet)

And I'm sure I could add to this list, very easily and quickly. I will buy at least one of these today, if not two, but what I have come to realize is that I must be careful. I never want to read so much and think so much and discuss so much that I don't DO so much. All this reading and discussing with friends and leaders in my church is only the prerequiste to this ACTION that I want to take place.

I want things to change and there are a ton of good books out there by people who understand what's going on in REAL Christians (not the fake religious stuff we so often put up) and real churches. I want to learn. I want knowledge. I want to know how to change things. But I don't want to just know how...I want to do it.

So here it goes. I'm headin off to buy some books, to gain some knowledge, but God, don't let it stop there. Help me turn it into action.

Late Night Runs and Cookie Dough Blasts

2005-07-08T21:25:00.000-05:00

Sometimes…we just need to let loose. We need to have some fun. Whatever your idea of fun is, just go do it. Stop acting all “responsible” for a minute and have a good time. Enjoy your life.

I love life. I’m so thankful for this gift of life I’ve been given. I love it all. In some odd, odd way, I really love the obstacles and the hard stuff too. The temptations that come my way, I simply want to overcome.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Don’t become so heavenly minded that you become no earthly good.” It may be somewhat cliché, or sound kinda corny, but it’s true. Jesus wasn’t always concerned with heaven. Yes, there were times for it. He’d go off and be alone and spend time with His Father in silence and solitude, but more often, He was out ministering. He was with ‘earthly’ human beings like Himself. Hanging out. Bringing life and life more abundantly to people. And I dare say He was having a grand old time.

So, today, enjoy your life. Enjoy the good stuff. Enjoy the bad stuff. Roll with the punches, in a sense. But not to the extent you are not willing to be different. Just, whatever happens today, choose to get the most out of it for your own character building and enjoyment and even more so, to help someone else. I’ve found life is more fun and exciting when lived for others, not self.
So go for a late night run in the park with a friend. Knock on a friend’s door, hide and then jump out when they open it (preferably late at night.) And yes…eat your cookie dough blast from Sonic.

Facing the Truth

2005-07-08T00:53:00.000-05:00

“To be honest is to confront the truth. However unpleasant and inconvenient the truth may be..” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

You know what the truth is? 800 million people in this world are living on less than $1 per day. Somewhere around 1.5 billion people have never heard the name Jesus Christ. A little girl is crying under a tree right now because she has not been fed in over 4 days. She is alone. Her parents have died, and who knows where her brothers and sisters are.

Of all people on this planet, should it not be the Christians stepping up to this occasion and doing something about this poverty and disease? Isn’t that what Christ did all the time? Met the needs of hurting people?

Micah 6:8-“He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Somewhere recently I read or heard that fighting poverty is not an act of charity on our part, but an act of justice. Maybe that will help your view on this.

“I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.
…Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it for me.”-Jesus (Matt. 25:35-36,40)

Most of our worlds are too small. It’s the 10 friends I do everything with. The 1 church I go to. The 2 fast-food places I attend regularly. My world is too small.

So what can we do?

**Sponsor a child (WorldVision.org, Children.org, Compassion.com)

**Go downtown and bring some homeless people a watermelon, sandwich, pop or candy bar

**Go on a short-term mission trip

**When you’re running errands, bring joy to people by handin’ them a jollyrancher or creamsaver as you leave…and don’t forget to smile.

**Take one night out of the week you’re not doing anything and go find something productive to do. Something to change someone’s life. Bring them joy. Bring them hope. Bring them Jesus….or just bring them a candy bar.

Reckless.

2005-07-07T11:40:00.000-05:00

I feel reckless. Impulsive. Rash. Unordinary. Daring. Quick to action without thinking. Fanatical. In other words, I feel like Peter.

Peter’s passion for Christ is obvious. He is in love with the Son of the Living God. He wants to do anything and everything for Him. Peter sees Jesus out walking on the water and has enough faith to say, “Tell me to come to you.” Jesus does; Peter does. Wow! What an immense amount of faith this guy has! He’s walking on water towards Jesus! But Peter loses his nerve when he sees the water beneath him and begins to sink. The only words that can come out of his mouth are, “Master, save me!” (Matthew 14:22-36)

That’s me. I’m going along. Life is great. I’ve got this steadfast faith in Christ, it seems like I know where I’m going, seems like I know what’s headed my way. I can see down the road pretty clearly. I can see the obstacles ahead and already have plans on how to overcome them. And I’ll even jump out of the boat in response to His call to me, but then…but then I begin to rely on myself and must cry, “Master, save me!”

I’ve found many Christians recently that are a lot like Peter and I. I’m glad I’m not alone. We’re the kind of people who don’t have a problem with jumping out of the boat. We’ll get out of our comfort zone, start walking on water, but then sometimes, we’ll lose it. I’ll skip a day praying and feel like I am hopeless. I don’t speak up when I need to and tell God He’ll never be able to use me. So when this happens, I cry, “Master, save me!” And he does. And just like that, I am on top of the water again.

We see Peter loving Jesus so much that he says that Jesus will never have to die. Faith… and then we see him being rebuked by Christ…oh, not so much faith. (Matthew 16:22-23)

“Even if EVERYONE else denies you, I won’t!” (Matthew 26:33) Faith…
“Then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ He went out and cried and cried and cried.” (Matthew 26:74-75) Oh, not so much faith…

Peter goes out to pray with Jesus in Gethsemane late at night. All-night prayer meeting. Alright! Let’s do it! Peter gets out there and is praying and instead of praying for more than 5 minutes, falls asleep. “[Jesus] said to Peter, ‘Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour?’” (Mt. 26:40)

God, no words can express how much I feel like Peter right now! How many times have you asked me that?! “Meghan, can’t you stick it out with me for at least one hour?” I want to be able to! I am passionate about you. I want to see you work in me and move through me. I want your power to be manifested in my life so I can change my generation and my world for you! But I can’t even stay up for one hour to pray! When will I ever get this all straight for more than 5 consecutive minutes? When will I be able to jump out of the boat and walk on the water without having to cry, “Master, save me!” every time?

Peter was reckless in his love for Jesus Christ. I like to think I am as well. But by no means does that qualify me as perfect or even close to it. I love my Lord. I love Him. No words can express that. I want to know Him more each day, but I sure don’t do things right sometimes. But thankfully, if through all that reckless, impulsive and rash behavior of Peter’s, God can build His church on Peter himself, God can use me. He can use me to change my generation. The world. The church. All for Him.

Just days after Peter’s denial of Christ and his wondering about John’s future instead of his own, Peter preached the first great sermon of all time about Jesus Christ. After all you’ve read about what Peter did ‘wrong’, read Acts 2:14-42 and see what you think of the guy after that. That’s you and me too.

Just give Him that reckless love, and He’ll give you all you need to make an impact. All this thinking about Peter and my own life reminds me of the hymn, Come Thou Fount, in the last verse--

Oh to grace, how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be. Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it. Seal it for Thy courts above.

Burning Desire

2005-07-07T00:50:00.000-05:00

For awhile now, I've had this burning desire in me to do something more than I'm doing. To see something more than I'm seeing. To experience something more than I'm experiencing. I know there's more of God and "God-things" out there that I'm not seeing today. This burning desire isn't going away. I don't want it to though. It's what is driving me. It' s what makes me wake up in the morning, grab my Bible, and shout, "God, feed me so I can feed your sheep!" This burning desire...I can't explain it. But it's always there.

It's there when I'm in the movie theater. It's there when I'm eating lunch. It's there when I'm in the mall. At church. In the grocery store. Walking around downtown. Driving in the car. This burning desire inside me to be all I am supposed to be and to see other's do that as well.

Maybe it's the Mountain Dew I had tonight.

I go to church tonight, and we played games (youth service). Played games. Why? I don't know. Maybe they're thinking this will attract kids to come in. Maybe they just want to take a break for the summer. I don't know. And the games weren't fun (personal opinion, of course.) I saw a couple of boys wrestling in the grass having a grand ol' time as one of the youth leaders tells them to stop it and be quiet and listen to the instructions of this game we're about to play...pretty aggressively, mind you. I'm just thinking, "They're having more fun doing that than they are playin this stupid game."

I had to bite my tongue a few times. I don't ever want to cut down authority or executive decisions like this. I want to respect my authority. But then it's like, what do we say/do when they are not doing it the way that is most effective?

It's this burning desire to see more. It gets me in trouble.

I was sitting in the parking lot talking with a couple friends after this "game time" was over. Once again, a youth leader yells at us telling us to get out of the parking lot.

Burning desire to see things happen. Rules aren't bringing it.

So what will? God, what will bring this revolution!? What can I, Meghan Fife, do to change things? What will ever satisfy this burning desire in me to see more happen? To see lives radically changed, not patted and made to feel good then sent out into the real world to get the heck beat out of them?

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one with this desire. I don't know why I've got it. I'm glad I do though. But I'm tellin you...it won't go away. It's crazy. But I love it.

Divine pressure always comes with vision.

I heard that once. I don't know where or when, but it's stuck with me. God's given me a vision and now there's this divine pressure to make it come to pass. I know it will require all of me. I can't be concerned with myself anymore. Only others. Only God.

I don't understand this burning desire that is constantly within me. 24 hours a day. 7 days a week. It's there. It's pushing me foward. It wont let me be complacent or sit still. Sometimes it won't let me sleep. It won't let me NOT speak truth and love people everywhere I go. It won't let me doi anything but things that will promote this revolution in my generation and my world.

Sometimes I feel like I can't take it. I feel like I can't satisfy it. I don't know what else to do. But I do not ask God to take it away. I only ask Him to intensify it and show me new ways to push this revolution into all the world, all ages, all races, all peoples.

Never let it die down, dear Lord. Intensify this burning desire.

What is Grace, Really?

2005-07-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

“But He gives us more and more grace…” James 4:6

He gives me more and more grace? I don’t even know what grace is! I’m sitting here trying to fathom grace. I’ve grown up in church, in a Christian family, with a Christian education so from day one I’ve heard that God loves me and longs to forgive my sins and wash me “white as snow.” And He has, hasn’t He? So why when I mess up do I all of a sudden hate myself? Why do when I give into that lustful thought, when I tell only half the truth to cover up what I’ve done wrong or when I don’t treat my little sister like I should, do I beat myself up for sinning?

Grace. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, so no man can boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9) I was saved by grace. By grace…I was saved. Wait. So nothing I do (sin) can cause me to lose my salvation because I did nothing in the first place to gain my salvation? God simply loved me and wanted to see me as His own, so He sends His only Son to die for me, and He just hopes that I accept. I do. Then what? I work my butt off trying to please this God that loves me no matter what I do? I don’t think that was ever the way it was supposed to be.

Whatever happened to living under grace? Some people take this to the extreme and do whatever they want, with no feeling of guilt (“What shall we say? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace may multiply? Certainly Not!”-Romans 6:1-2). And then there's people like me who freak out when we sin and have a hard time picking ourselves up and moving on.

Yes, God wants to see us do what’s right. Just like I would want to see my kid’s do what’s right (if I had kids). But if they mess up…I’m not angry or mad or anything even remotely like that. I simply want to pick up their hand and help them again. And by no means do I think they’re a hopeless case if they mess up! Even if they mess up after I’ve taught them! To bring it to an even more real level, when I have a child and they are learning to walk, am I going to beat them up if they fall? Of course not! I’m going to help them up and help them start walking again.

I mess up all too often it seems. I try to walk, and I stumble. But I am reminded of Proverbs 16:20 where it says even the righteous man may fall seven times, but he will rise again. How? By the grace of God. Without it, I cannot rise again. Without it, I cannot walk at all.

But God shows His love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. –Romans 5:8

He loved me long before I loved Him. I don’t understand His love for me; His mercy, His kindness, and His grace are all too deep for me to grasp in one day or one sitting. I wonder if I will grasp it all before I die. Probably not. But hopefully I’ll be closer then than I am today.

I was talking with a friend the other day about this. We had been discussing earlier how much we hate it when we sin. We feel worthless, useless and not “ministry material” anymore. But we started talking about the grace of God, and how we should really view God and ourselves when we sin. Not in a spirit of hate for ourselves, but in light of God’s wondrous grace for us, His quick willingness to forgive us and help us correct our mistake.

Paul, David, Hosea, Peter-only a few examples of murderers, whores, and deniers of Christ that God gave grace to, and they were used for great things. Look at this--

For I am the least worthy of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I once wronged the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not found to be for nothing. -1 Cor. 15:9-10

By the grace of God, I am what I am! I’m a child of God. I am His beloved. I am righteous. I am apart of the True Vine. I am Christ’s friend! I am a co-heir with Christ. How? By the grace of God.

His grace is amazing, and it is enough for me.

I can’t say I understand His grace anymore than I did. But I want to. Christ didn’t die for us to watch us put on a show of good deeds for Him. He died to give us grace, the grace in which we can live everyday by His power, in His love, and for His glory.

Handin' the Keys Over

2005-07-05T22:11:00.000-05:00

This evening my mom and I went on a shopping adventure. I’m only learning to drive with my learners’ permit so I hopped in the drivers seat as she got in the passenger’s. This was by no means the first time and by no means the last time this has happened. She then preceded to hand the keys to me.

As this interchange of the keys occurred, I was thinking how things are with God. He has trained me and taught me; I’ve taken the written test; I know all there is to know about ‘driving’…word wise. I go through seasons where He teaches me things. I study them. I pray about them. I meditate on them. All in hope that one day I’ll actually be able to do them. Sometimes the teaching is much longer than I’d like, and sometimes it seems much too short. But one thing is always a fact: the test will come, and I hope to pass with flying colors. Many times I don’t. I must retake the course and try again later.

It reminds me of the Israelites. In bondage in Egypt for some 400 years, God decides it’s time for them to get outta there and go to possess their Promised Land, Canaan. Deuteronomy 1:2 informs us that the journey from Egypt to Canaan was an eleven day journey. But if I remember correctly (and I know I do), it took the Israelites 40 YEARS! Why in the world did it take them so long? Was it the mass of people trying to move from point A to point B, perhaps? Or was it the obstacles such as the Red Sea or the Jordan River? I don’t think it was either one of these. I do think it was because they refused to learn their lesson and because of that, could not pass their test.

They’re hungry; God sends manna to ‘magically’ appear on the ground every morning. They’re thirsty; God provides water out of a rock. They want meat; God causes quail to fly into their camp. They still complain. “We want something different today, God!” When I read this, I’m thinking…Just shut up! Take what you’ve got and start runnin’ to the Promised Land so you can eat and drink all this land flowing with milk and honey has got to offer you!

But how similar I am to them. God tries to teach me something, and I keep going around the same stupid mountain. Around and around I go. Not making progress. If anything, complaining that I’m not getting anywhere. All the while God is sitting there saying, “Meghan, if you’ll do what I’ve tried to teach you, then maybe you can make it to where I’ve called you to be in 11 days instead of 40 years.”

Thankfully He doesn’t lose patience. And thankfully I’m starting to see the point of His handing the keys over to me. He’s taught me. He’s shown me the ropes. Now it’s my turn. He’s my co-pilot. He wants to see me make the calls now. He’ll still be there to give me advice, but I’m in control. I’ve got the wheel, the brake and the accelerator.

The test is here again. Let's hope I can remember what I’ve been taught.