Most of you will not understand this...

but for the few out there, here you go:

Back to the Basics #2

Passion.

What is your passion, more specifically what drives you? What gets you excited?
And how are you using what you are passionate about to impact the kingdom of God?

In my journey in the last seven months or so, I've thought about this on and off. When it comes to knowing God's will for my life, I get frustrated... often... a lot. Now, I do not necessarily adhere to any concrete definition of what God's will for my life is. I know that God knows the plans he has for me. I think that as long as I am living my life as a living sacrifice to his will, then the specifics are not mandatory.

I do believe however, that I am the one who puts so much emphasis on "what exactly" God's will is for my life. I place demands and expectations at the feet of my Savior, and expect him to comply to my understanding, my desires (my desires... as in selfish Jeff, not the Jeff who seeks to do the will of God).

And there is the problem. I think that today there is a problem of not knowing what our passions are. We confuse selfish desires and passions that God wants to grow in us and use for his kingdom.

Upon pondering this subject, here are a few things that are rattling around in my brain.

1. Jesus, Be the Centre. Yes boys and girls, sometimes the church answer is indeed the right answer (And spelling like the British is fun, too). If you don't have this priority in your life, we will need to stop this discussion and have a completely different one first. But for the rest of you, y'all know this, and if you are like me, its good to be reminded of it from time to time.

2.Who are you? Who who? Sorry, Old men flailing their arms and CSI just popped into my head there, but seriously, what makes you... you? What gifts, abilities, talents did God bestow upon you? If you despise underwater basket weaving, chances are God is not going to make you go into that realm. That is, unless he gives creates in you that desire...

3. Flounder... with feeling! Definition: 1 : to struggle to move or obtain footing : thrash about wildly 2 : to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually. If you are going to struggle with what your part in the kingdom is and how to get there, struggle through it... in order to get to the other side. At times it feels like I'm in a holding pattern in my journey. But that is not true. God still desires me to be an active member of the kingdom while I figure out where I might fit best according to my passions. God doesn't want me do be a mindless robot doing things just because, he wants me to be fully engaged in a relationship with him and active in his kingdom. And sometimes it takes Stubborn Jeff to go through some character building time to be aligned with God's heart.
At times I feel like I am not where I am to be for much longer. Maybe this is a glimpse of what is to come, maybe this is just not clear because of my specific spot in the journey. My goal is to continue to trust him.

4. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. (Give up, Give in, Do it again.) In 1757, at the age of 22, Robert Robinson said it best when he penned the these lyrics:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

If someone has figured out to surrender their will to God once and for all, please tell me how. Until then, there is a lot of surrender that must take place.


At times I see people around me who are without any driving force, without purpose, without passion. I just wonder how would God's church look if his people truly were engaged in the kingdom with the gifts, desires, and passions that God has given them?

What is your passion?
What drives you?
What gets you excited?
How are you using what you are passionate about to impact the kingdom of God?

Back to the basics

Ah, training wheels.
I remember way back in the day when I first started to learn how to ride a bicycle. It took time and yes, it helped immensely to have the extra wheels. If my dad would have tried to teach me how to ride without training wheels, I think I may have eventually been successful. But I think it would've been very difficult.

The other day I was trying to instruct a new employee on how to complete an assignment. A few minutes into the process I realized a deer in the headlights look. It hit me. What I thought were specific instructions, were really not. It was my fault, not his. I had grown accustomed to saying something to one of the guys who'd been around for a while and was used to my instructions.

Recently I've had the opportunity to talk to a student who is new to this whole Christianity thing. In answering questions, this has made me think hard about the things I take for granted. This situation has, in a sense, refreshed my soul. I feel like there is something there that is taking place that God desires for me to be a part of.

At the same time, I'm troubled. I feel like far too often as a church, we expect everyone who doesn't understand what a relationship with Christ is to automaticaly understand, and to come to the church, magically assimilating into the body of Christ. I'm pretty sure Christ said "Go and make disciples," not "sit and wait for people to become disciples and come to the church."

So how do we do this? How do we continue to grow people in their relationships with Jesus Christ, while guiding others in the initial steps? It seems to me we can do one really well, but not both at the same time. If the each part of the body of Christ has a specific purpose, why does the church at times just look like the ear?

A picture is worth a thousand words

In the realm of homework this week, this picture is a pretty good description of how I feel:

Playing Favorites

I'm not perfect. I display favoritism over people at times. I'm sure that frustrates people.

The church is not perfect. I see favoritism displayed and it frustrates me. One might say it isses me off.

Jesus Christ is perfect. I see favoritism, but it is an all-encompassing favoritism. He loves all of his children the same, and doesn't choose one over another.

The point?
I'm not perfect. I must not rely on my own strength for I will undoubtedly fail.
The church will at times fail because it is made of people. My focus can't solely be on the church. Jesus Christ never fails. No matter what has happened or what will happen in my life, he is the one constant.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12: 1-2