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.

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.

A couple of years ago I went through one of the most difficult periods in my life. It was something I’ve never experienced before, but something that is not uncommon. I really didn’t understand why it happened, but it left me mourning and outright balling my eyes out. I was at a loss…it felt like I just didn’t have the motivation to move on, but I knew better than that. I turned to my God in deep prayer and an honest pursuit of Him, what He wanted in my life, and to do what He created me to do…there was nothing else but Him.

During that time, I also asked God to place a brother or brothers in my life that would help me get back on track with my walk with Him. Men who may have gone through the same heartaches and trials as I have. Men who would sharpen me as I can sharpen them…brothers in arms and warriors for the cause of Christ. God answered my prayer.

I met Shannon during the Spring of 2006. We both attended a Bible Study on Thursday nights…it was a Bible Study that I attended for a while, but skipped out on for half a year. I didn’t know Shannon at all, really, except that it seemed his heart for God and for people was a lot like mine. I saw him a couple more times throughout the week and decided that I should probably get to know him better…so we met up for steaks at Texas Roadhouse. That’s another thing we shared in common – love for food! Come to find out, Shannon and I have a very similar past and have been through very similar trials and heartaches. We hit it off. We talked about our desires for our life, which centered around the Kingdom building of God. We wanted to pursue His will regardless of what this world may throw at us.

During the past couple of years, we’ve grown a lot in our relationship with Jesus Christ, and have truly been an encouragement to each other. We’ve shared a lot of the revelations God has given us in our lives and have shared some tough times, but were always greatful for the plans set in stone by God that are beyond us. Now, God has been leading us toward the plans and desires He has created us for in ministry. Shannon is a leader for First Priority, which exists for the purpose of reaching and discipling the next generation for Jesus Christ. As for me, well, God placed me in a team with three other brothers to start a new church in Littleton, CO, called Forefront Church.

Shannon was recently engaged to a lovely young lady, named Ginger – you can see their photo in my Flicker pages. I actually met Ginger about a year before I met Shannon. They’re a match made in heaven and an excellent example of what a couple should be like – Christ-centered. Well, today, I was deeply honored by Shannon as he asked me to be his best man at his wedding. I can’t describe how moved I was, but to give you an idea…I shed a few tears. It’s probably one of the greatest honors that has ever been presented to me.

All this to say that Shannon is definitely a kindred spirit…even his family has “adopted” me. I can’t thank God enough for placing this brother in my life as it has certainly been part of my restoration.

I love you Shannon and Ginger! Thank you!

I never really saw myself as a text messenger. It just seemed to be easier to call someone instead of having to type out complete thoughts using the keypad on my cell phone. I used text messaging once in a while, but not very often…well, until recently. I picked up an iPhone a few weeks ago to get my emails real-time, have a planner, iPod, and other neat stuff all in one place…the coolness factor was a big sell, too. It’s a lot easier to type a text message using the digital keyboard on this thing. Funny, I recently had to increase my text messaging limit from 200 to 1500. I feel like a high schooler.

It’s pretty amazing to think about how far technology has come. It seems like not long ago, I was still handwriting letters to mail to family and friends. Now, I just type out a quick email. Look at how far cell phones have come. Not only can we send text messages, but we can check email and even surf the internet on our phones. It’s definitely a whole new world out there…a very digital one.

But, when I think about how cool all of this stuff is, I also wonder how far from organic have we become. Instead of calling someone or just visiting in person, we can just send a quick text message. Sometimes, I even try to call a friend to say “hi”, but I get some “lady” telling me how to leave a voice message. So, I try to send a text message. I hate to say that there are times when some of my friends don’t respond…it could be because they never received the message, or they’re just blowing me off. It’s easier to screen our messages nowadays. It’s easier to blow people off because we can hide in our digital world…one that isn’t so personal anymore.

In true community and fellowship, it takes commitment from each of us to be intentional in our relationships. We can’t hide behind the cell phones or the computers. We have to go beyond a text message sometimes to really show how much we care…how much we love. There’s something about a hand written letter or a phone call to meet up that goes beyond the superficial. There is a statement made that says, “You mean a lot to me, and I am willing to take the time to spend with you. That nothing will distract me from my attention to you. I am here to help, to encourage, to have fun with. I’m here to do life with you.”

Think about this: what if Jesus and His disciples sent text messages to each other all the time? Would Jesus’ teachings to them really have hit home? Would the disciples have experienced true fellowship with Jesus? What kind of relationship would they have had?

I’m not against text messaging at all. I just challenge you to take the time by going beyond KIT (keep in touch) and HTH (hope this helps). Focus on the quality of your relationships, and not necessarily the quantity.

TTFN!

I know I should be used to this by now, but I am always still amazed how well God confirms lessons in my life by repeating them over and over again. Recently, two very close buddies of mine were talking about small groups, church, and community, in general. I mentioned that I will be teaching a class at my church, called, CS301, where we learn about ministry and how to determine our spiritual gifts. It will be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to teaching from the Word a bit. We were talking about how spiritual gifts were not given to us by God for our benefit, but for the benefit of others we come in contact with…people at our church, people in our small groups, people at work. How can we build true community with one another in all these different places?  Here’s a little blurb from the book, “Better Together: What on Earth Are We Here For?” by Rick Warren:

Committing to one another means benefiting each other. God gives each of us unique abilities for the purpose of sharing them with others: “Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits” (1 Corinthians 12:7, Msg). Our small groups and our congregations are poorer if we do not freely use our spiritual gifts for the benefit of all. Commitment means we recognize each other as parts of a greater body working together (Romans 12:4-5).

Just think, what if we all knew what our spiritual gifts were and how we could effectively use them – not only in ministry, but just in our daily life? What kind of impact would we make in our community? What about those in our circles of influence? What kind of dynamic would we create in our churches if we all used the gifts and abilities God has given us on a regular basis, instead of just sitting like bumps on a log and merely absorbing what is taught?

Spiritual gifts are another aspect of God that He has placed in us. Why? So God can use us to show people a bit of Himself. “And we , with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Use your spiritual gifts to bless and encourage others. I can guarantee that you will also be blessed because you will be naturally doing something that you were created to do…God will be more real to you…you will be more alive…and that may give life to others.

Well, here is a new blog site for me.  For those of you who want to read all the historical “goings-on” in my life the past 3-4 years, you can click on “My Old Blog Site” link on the right or go to this site: www.xanga.com/rbansil.

I hope to post something more meaningful soon, so I hope you enjoy the journey!

Ron