Is it You…or me?

Recently, I met up with one of my mentors. It was a great meeting and one that I look forward to every other week because he is a pastor that I’ve always looked up to and wanted to learn from. The last meeting we had was really our first and he asked me some challenging questions, but the toughest one was how I knew I was following God’s call in my life to be an associate pastor or if I was following my own way based on what people have told me.

Let’s rewind a bit. For several years now, since high school, I’ve been told by many people that I would make a great pastor. Even just a few months ago, I was told the same thing. One of the many questions I get is, “Have you ever considered being a pastor?”. Well, to answer that question, “yes”. In fact, I am serving as the associate pastor for Forefront Church in Littleton, CO. But, how do I know that is truly a calling from God or just something I thought would be cool to do…I mean, everyone seems to think I would be a good pastor anyway, right?

I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. ~ John 15:5 (NLT)

My short answer to you is that it takes a true relationship with my God and…faith. I can’t do anything outside of Him. I just don’t have the power. It’s a question of me doing it God’s way or me doing it my way. Knowing what God wants to do in your life and what He created you for requires a relationship – spending time with Him in prayer, worship, and reading the Bible. You don’t get to know anyone if you don’t spend time with them, communicate with them, and do life with them. Think about that a little…it’s pretty straightforward, but I wonder if we often forget about it. There’s a difference between knowing and doing, or head knowledge vs. heart knowledge. I’ve heard some couples say that they know what their significant other is thinking before even they do, or have an idea how they would react to a certain situation. How did they get there? True relationship. That’s the same way it is with God. You won’t have much of an idea what He wants to do or how He wants to do it if you don’t have a true relationship with Him.

Faith is the confidence of what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. ~ Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

Another thing is faith. That’s a tough one, especially when you think about trying to build a relationship with someone you don’t see everyday…or at all. I can’t really answer that for  anyone, really. But for me, I must follow after God faithfully. I don’t know what His plans are, but I have any idea in my heart what He wants to accomplish through me. I just don’t know how He’s going to do it. That takes faith, and sometimes it means that I have to step out into the unknown and out of my comfort zone for Him to show me. I can’t hold back. It’s a lot like the apostle Peter when he stepped out of the boat and in the midst of the storm, walked toward Jesus on the water. He was doing pretty well until something in him held him back…he began to sink…because he lost faith. I’m not sure if he lost faith in Jesus, but maybe he lost it in himself. I can tell you right now that God believes in you, and He has a lot of faith in you and your abilities and gifts…after all, He gave them to you. You just need to step out of the boat once in a while and allow Him to do what He wants to do…through you.

 I’m looking for one who will wait and watch for My beckoning hand, My eye – who will work in My manner the work I give, and the work I give not pass by. And oh the joy that is brought to Me when one such as this I can find – a man who will do all My will, who is set to study his Master’s mind. ~ Zac Poonen

As for everyone telling me that I would make a good pastor, or if I ever considered becoming one…well, I’ll just use that as confirmation that I’m heading in the right direction.

Surrender…to something Heavenly

Whatever Your doing inside of me, it feels like chaos, somehow there’s peace. It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see…

This is just an excerpt from one of my favorite songs by Sanctus Real called, “Whatever You’re Doing”. It’s about life, really. Life that any one of has experienced or will experience. A time in our life when we realize that we’ve been “broken” for a long time, but not really sure how to fix it. It’s a time in our life when we need to be restored from the difficult times we’ve faced, the wounds we’ve received, and the pain that seems so unbearable. It’s also a time to revaluate who we really are and where we belong.

I guess the most fearful thing is not knowing what lies ahead, and hoping, praying that it’s better than what we just experienced. At this point, surrender is the toughest thing to do. Surrendering to God is even tougher. It takes faith, trust, and hope that God knows what’s going on and that He has our best interest in mind. Sometimes it may be even tougher to know that He has our best interest in mind according to His will. What is that exactly? Is it better than what I think is better? The comfort I take is in knowing that He loves me, so whatever it may be, He has it under control. That, in itself, is just as tough to accept, but if you understand love and what it means when it is unconditional, then there’s really no way to doubt it.

Our country, the United States of America, is going through some difficult times right now. There are a lot of doubts, a lot of fears, and a lot of uncertainty. Its an election year, its chaotic, and the citizens of our country have to face a difficult decision. Unfortunately, some decisions were made without us and whether we agreed or not. Some folks are hurting, some folks are worried…is the economy really as “doom and gloom” as its been cracked up to be? Is our next president really going to make the right decisions for our country? Is God still here?

I can tell you that God is still here and that He is in full control. Whether you believe that or not, its okay because I believe it. This is a perfect time for the church to provide some hope in our country, to encourage those who are downtrodden, to help those who need help (financially, physically, mentally), and its a time to show others the love God has shown us. It’s simple, really…do you know love and do you understand what it means when it is unconditional? We don’t have to look far. Imagine if we all could make a difference one life at a time, one family at a time, one community at a time…just by being authentic, approachable, relational, and just plain loving…that’s something heavenly.

Whatever You’re doing inside of me, it feels like chaos, but now I can see there’s something bigger than me. Larger than life, something heavenly…something heavenly.