True

“A great necessity is a great opportunity. Nothing is really lost by a life of sacrifice; everything is lost by failure to obey God’s call. The opportunities of generously serving Christ are few; perhaps not more than one in a lifetime. They come, they do not return. What we do upon a great occasion will probably depend upon what we already are; what we are will be the result of years of self-discipline under the grace of Christ, or of the absence of it.”
- Henry Parry Liddon

Your choice...

The Church. A force to be reckoned with, or a disjointed collection of warring factions? A unified body or a collection of dry bones, outdated and obsolete, destroyed by it’s own insolvency? The great commission, a command to be obeyed, the supreme mandate to reach the world, or a gentle suggestion from the Savior’s lips? Jesus - kind, friendly, Mr. nice guy, or passionate, fiery, forceful revolutionary who took on the system for the glory of His Father?
You. Tame, safe, standardized, complacent and liked? Or will you dare to go deeper, farther, higher. Will you love Him with everything, or will you hold back? Will you live for His glory or yours? Will it be His dreams or your own? Will you follow?
Brothers and sisters, ours lives MUST be all about Jesus.

“I beg you brothers! By the mercy of God - His undeserved fierce love to us, that you give your bodies an offering to God - a sacrifice to be consumed for His glory, holy, accepted by God. This is worship, and is the reasonable thing to do.” - Paul (Romans 12)

“I've come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I've come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I've come to disrupt and confront!” - Luke 12:49-52 (The Message)



One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one's own self!—can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple.
"Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: 'He started something he couldn't finish.'
"Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other? And if he decides he can't, won't he send an emissary and work out a truce?
"Simply put, if you're not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can't be my disciple.
"Salt is excellent. But if the salt goes flat, it's useless, good for nothing.
"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"
(Luke 14:25-34 The Message)

The way I see it: Michael’s version

I’m sure that most of you have seen “the way I see it” mini-articles on star bucks cups. To help me reclaim the spirit of blogging, I will try to write one short “the way I see it” blurb every day. Completely random, hopefully occasionally inspiring, encouraging, and relevant. Oh, and short :D
So - here goes!

The way I see it #1
How would today be different if you knew you were in a great tale, an epic story? If you were a character from your favorite book living your life, how would it be different? If you knew that you had great choices to make, great battles to fight, people to love, destiny to fulfill, what would you do?

You can stop wondering. You are in an epic. You are in the Tale of tales, the great Story. There is no middle ground - the battle is fought over the very souls of those around you, and there is NO justification for complacency. You breathe today because you were meant to. Be intentional. Be missional. Live Jesus.

Thanksgiving...

Ok, so this is a day late. Thanksgiving.

I don’t know what to say on thanksgiving. It’s not like I don’t have things to be thankful for - I have more to be thankful for than I could ever express.
If I had the power of memory to recall every day that I have walked this earth, if I could look back at every moment, at every tiny detail, I know I would see how in every day of my life there have been a thousand mercies, small and great, a gold thread of grace weaved through the often broken and marred story of my life.

I am in awe.

Every time I have fallen, I have fallen into His grace. Every time I have stood and fought, I have stood and fought on His strength. Every victory has been a demonstration of His power through me, every defeat a recounting of the story of grace to the undeserving.

My story.

All that my Jesus is to me is more than I could ever say, were I eloquent enough to write a thousand volumes of verse, were I skilled enough to pen a thousand hymns of unsurpassed melody, intricate harmony, and flowing words, I would still be at a loss to describe the majesty, the glory, the wonder of He who has rescued me.

So today, I recognize again the fact that nothing I could say, nothing I could do, nothing I am or have or ever will be would be enough to offer Him. Nothing. Ever.

“The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen shall ever tell…”

“O, the deep, deep love of Jesus
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free….”

I have been awakened by the sound of the birds singing on a May morning, walked outside to smell the earth awaking too - the barrenness of winter retreating before a verdant spring. Who am I to deserve this?

I have looked into the heavens, and seen the hidden mysteries the universe, the colossal wonders of an infinite God, the beauty of infinity, the awe-inspiring greatness of galaxies and nebulae, indescribable wonders flung out over an area so large that it is truly incomprehensible.
And what’s more, I have looked into the eyes of humanity. Rebellious, flawed, humanity. And have been given the gift to see beyond the surface. Beyond what my eyes could see, my heart has observed that even in the darkest heart, the maker’s stamp remains. The stamp of eternal love, the guarantee of hope and life and new dawn to any and every broken child of a twisted race.

It blows my mind.

So maybe the people in Subway are wondering why I’m crying, while the world keeps on spinning, while their hearts keep beating, and while an infinite God keeps pouring out His love to an undeserving wretch like me.
Love.

My thanksgiving, if it must focus on one thing, would ever make this my song and banner and only hope. Love. A Cross. Outstretched arms. The way is now open. Love. Flowing from bleeding wounds and nail pierced feet. Oh, if I had the words to describe His Love.

But I don’t. My words stumble like little children learning to walk. But like little children, may they laugh and continue joyfully to the arms of their Daddy.

I am thankful….


Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (I Timothy 1:17, CSB)