I've been really needing to work on my car. I've also been needing a lot of work on my stereo. Same with my bike. Also with my furnishings. Oh, did I mention my work ethic? What about my dirty carpet that needs cleaning? The point is, I have been busy doing a lot of projects of my own. Working on my own undertakings has always been the ace of spades when it comes to self confidence and content. Sometimes I like to search around on Craigslist, find knick knacks that I know are sellable and worth some money, buy them super cheap, and turn them around for a good profit. Business major at its finest right? I mean, it makes me some money and I get to do what I love.
With all of this chatter going on, I have really lost touch with God in my life. I've been maneuvering my own trails. The problem is that I have been doing just fine on my own. But I could be doing a lot better. God knew it too. And was just kicking His heels, waiting for the perfect moment to act.
The thing about God is that, in my life, He will always hear everything I even utter to myself. A couple weeks ago I was mentioning to the leadership team of Outdoor Adventure that I was feeling lukewarm and uncomfortable with my relationship with Christ. I felt stagnant. Pale. Sometimes even empty or on my own. I didn't really feel like I when I was asking for help and prayer from peers, that I really meant it. I was sort of mentioning it for mentioning's sake. I had no real need in my life to pursue God. I had been making a decent amount of money. My grades were staying relatively high. And I was confident in the next stages of my life. But God, being the sneaky character He often is, knew that I was due for another "big moment."
I am a businessman. My number one strength is Maximizer. I want the best out of every single person I meet because each one of you has something amazing you contribute to the world. You see, I also have a very unique (well in the sense that I've never met anybody with similar views) image of God and creation. It seems that many people live in the belief that without God we are nothing. That apart from God we are incapable of anything. John 15:5 supports this in the metaphor of the vine and the vinedresser. "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." So I'm not trying to intentionally disagree with basic theological understanding but, why would God create humans so incapable? I would like to believe that God created me a powerful and smart individual. That God created me with goals and aspirations to excel in the world of business and service, or my passion for growth and personal development. I'm not saying that I don't need God. But sometimes I really want to do things on my own. Sort of the "learn to fly" idea. With this said, I believe God created people intelligent, capable, adept, and skilled men and women. I mean, who would want to sit there and manage a bunch of babbling idiots as they attempt to manage the earth? In Genesis, God gave Adam the responsibility of naming all things of the earth and being in superiority over all creatures. I don't think God intended to give Adam this power and monitor it the entire time. I imagine God delegating the work and empowering the people to do things on their own. For me to imagine that I am an impotent and mindless without God constantly giving me strength is sort of upsetting to me. Let me do some things on my own.
Now this is a dangerous claim. I am well aware of that. But look at some of the achievements I have accomplished or great leaders have executed. For example, my luck at getting employment in a lamentable economy. Ok so I am a tenacious interviewee. Maybe God created me with strong communication skills and the ability to quickly relate to people, but do you think God spoke the words that came out of my mouth for the answers to every question? Probably not. Though certainly God can literally speak through people, but I doubt everything I say, even intelligent of deep thoughts, are generated from my own intellect.
Or for example with the recent re-election of President Barack Obama. Do you really think that his victory speech was written out and spoken by God? I think that our President is a brilliant leader that knows very well what to say and do in the given situations. He is a talented person that is leading one of the world's most powerful civilizations.
I imagine God as a coach. Perhaps I join the team unable to throw or with a terrible 40 yard sprint time. But with careful and diligent teaching, one day I will be an excellent player who contributes to the team in my specific skill set God will always be there in the dugout to come and give me strength and motivation when I am starting to slip up, but the pitching mound is still mine for these innings.
So back to this aforementioned "big moment". I really don't know how to describe what it feels like when you realize God did something in your life. It is sort of like you can suddenly see beyond the cave. You find out that there is so much that you were blind to but can suddenly see. You become so happy yet filled with an anomalous anger at God for being so clever. It's sort of like "of course, you WOULD do that!"
I've been fortunate enough to observe maybe 4 or 5 miracles in my life. Each one exquisite in its own uniqueness.
My hope that each one of you gets to participate in this someday. It really is quite beautiful.
That's all.
Shalom.
"At your feet,
where your love covers all I've done,
now I walk with you Lord.
For I am caught in your arms of love."
PS: Why haven't I ever heard our worship team play this? Arms Open Wide
With all of this chatter going on, I have really lost touch with God in my life. I've been maneuvering my own trails. The problem is that I have been doing just fine on my own. But I could be doing a lot better. God knew it too. And was just kicking His heels, waiting for the perfect moment to act.
The thing about God is that, in my life, He will always hear everything I even utter to myself. A couple weeks ago I was mentioning to the leadership team of Outdoor Adventure that I was feeling lukewarm and uncomfortable with my relationship with Christ. I felt stagnant. Pale. Sometimes even empty or on my own. I didn't really feel like I when I was asking for help and prayer from peers, that I really meant it. I was sort of mentioning it for mentioning's sake. I had no real need in my life to pursue God. I had been making a decent amount of money. My grades were staying relatively high. And I was confident in the next stages of my life. But God, being the sneaky character He often is, knew that I was due for another "big moment."
I am a businessman. My number one strength is Maximizer. I want the best out of every single person I meet because each one of you has something amazing you contribute to the world. You see, I also have a very unique (well in the sense that I've never met anybody with similar views) image of God and creation. It seems that many people live in the belief that without God we are nothing. That apart from God we are incapable of anything. John 15:5 supports this in the metaphor of the vine and the vinedresser. "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." So I'm not trying to intentionally disagree with basic theological understanding but, why would God create humans so incapable? I would like to believe that God created me a powerful and smart individual. That God created me with goals and aspirations to excel in the world of business and service, or my passion for growth and personal development. I'm not saying that I don't need God. But sometimes I really want to do things on my own. Sort of the "learn to fly" idea. With this said, I believe God created people intelligent, capable, adept, and skilled men and women. I mean, who would want to sit there and manage a bunch of babbling idiots as they attempt to manage the earth? In Genesis, God gave Adam the responsibility of naming all things of the earth and being in superiority over all creatures. I don't think God intended to give Adam this power and monitor it the entire time. I imagine God delegating the work and empowering the people to do things on their own. For me to imagine that I am an impotent and mindless without God constantly giving me strength is sort of upsetting to me. Let me do some things on my own.
Now this is a dangerous claim. I am well aware of that. But look at some of the achievements I have accomplished or great leaders have executed. For example, my luck at getting employment in a lamentable economy. Ok so I am a tenacious interviewee. Maybe God created me with strong communication skills and the ability to quickly relate to people, but do you think God spoke the words that came out of my mouth for the answers to every question? Probably not. Though certainly God can literally speak through people, but I doubt everything I say, even intelligent of deep thoughts, are generated from my own intellect.
Or for example with the recent re-election of President Barack Obama. Do you really think that his victory speech was written out and spoken by God? I think that our President is a brilliant leader that knows very well what to say and do in the given situations. He is a talented person that is leading one of the world's most powerful civilizations.
I imagine God as a coach. Perhaps I join the team unable to throw or with a terrible 40 yard sprint time. But with careful and diligent teaching, one day I will be an excellent player who contributes to the team in my specific skill set God will always be there in the dugout to come and give me strength and motivation when I am starting to slip up, but the pitching mound is still mine for these innings.
So back to this aforementioned "big moment". I really don't know how to describe what it feels like when you realize God did something in your life. It is sort of like you can suddenly see beyond the cave. You find out that there is so much that you were blind to but can suddenly see. You become so happy yet filled with an anomalous anger at God for being so clever. It's sort of like "of course, you WOULD do that!"
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