Chasing Lions

Through a link on GoConnect.org, I revisited the book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. David Mays provides a great summary on one of his Book Notes pages.

The base biblical story is about a man who follows a lion into a pit on a snowy day and kills the lion. Apologies to my lion-loving sister. The story in Second Samuel 23 is part of a series of stories of men who faced their fears and took great risks, usually to accomplish things that would glorify God.

From that little story, the book expands the theme to all the ways God brings us to the right place at the right time to prepare us for what is ahead and move us towards our destiny.

"But here's the catch: The right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time." Those times are often very difficult and way out of our comfort zone.

Knowing that faith involves risk and uncertainty, we can have some measure of peace and confidence in the most trying of circumstances.

You may have had some challenging experiences. I have certainly had a few - many more severe than I ever would have imagined ten years ago. But I'm writing and you're reading. So we have survived to tell about it. And hopefully we have learned a thing or two along the way. And I have also lived to tell the story of how God has blessed me in ways I could not have imagined ten years ago.

Even when the way is foggy, and it often is in my experience, God calls us to move forward, taking baby steps if necessary. We don't always know what is ahead. But daily we have choices of what to do with "today". Are we willing to let God work in us and through us today? As we are willing, open, and obedient, greater opportunities await.

I pray God will give us all a vision of how we may impact the world and impact eternity. And I pray we will persevere when that stretching, growing, and testing tempts us to give up. As the Apostle Paul often prayed, God's strength and peace to you. He is able.

Just a few quotes from the book:

"We're inspired by people who face their fears and chase their dreams. What we fail to realize is that they are no different from us." (16)

"Impossible odds set the stage for amazing miracles. That is how God reveals his glory--and how He blesses you in ways you never could have imagined." (22)

"Satan has two primary tactics when it comes to neutralizing you spiritually: discouragement and fear." (51)

"Lion chasers are more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary uncertainty." "Embracing uncertainty is one dimension of faith." (81)

"The more you're willing to risk, the more God can use you. And if you're willing to risk everything, then there is nothing God can't do in you and through you." (102)

It is often the fear of foolishness that holds us back. "Faith is the willingness to look foolish." "Noah looked foolish building an ark in the desert." (149) "The greatest breakthroughs, miracles, and turning points in Scripture can be traced back to someone who was willing to look foolish." (150)

"Conforming to Christ results in nonconformity." (151)

Seven skills to be a lion chaser: "You have to start by trying to comprehend the infiniteness of God so that you can believe He can help you to defy the odds. You have to face your fears, or they'll hold you back forever. You have to learn to reframe your problems through Scripture reading, prayer, and worship. Then you'll shift your perspective so that your problem becomes less significant and God's greatness becomes more evident. And remember, you must take risks. That is the essence of faith. Then you're ready to seize the opportunity. But you have to be able to see it to seize it. That means getting yourself in tune with the Holy Spirit. You have to listen to His still, small voice prompting you and believe that He is setting you up for success. And finally, you have to accept that you're going to look foolish sometimes." "These skills are a package deal." "What lion is God calling you to chase?" (168-69)

Please visit the David Mays site for more quotes or go buy the book.

Bridge photo is copyright^© 2006 Ronald G. Hedberg. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.

Legacy of Saint Patrick

The past few weeks it has been a joy to once again hear some of the content from a class I took years ago, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Part of the course includes discussion of ways God worked through history in a wide variety of ways to get Christians among the nations. One example is the story of Saint Patrick.

I have included an exerpt from a class so you too can hear more about Patrick's story and how God once again used ordinary people for extraordinary impact.

Big Bog 1

We visited Big Bog State Park last weekend. At least parts of the park are very new. And I commend the state of Minnesota for preserving this unique area.

I was kind of ignorant of bogs. But it sounded like something new and different. In 2005, the state built a mile long boardwalk into the largest bog in the lower 48 states. It is roughly 70 miles wide by 30 miles north and south. The bog is mostly a peat bog with lots of the peat moss found at gardening stores. If I understand correctly, the dead plant life just builds up over time because it is too cold to decay it all into "soil".

The bog is definitely wet - although that isn't obvious at the surface. In spots, the actual soil is up to 15 feet below the surface. At pretty much any point, if a person tries to walk on the bog, they will sink knee-deep or deeper. It is a very unique ecosystem.

So the boardwalk gives us all a chance to experience the bog without being bogged down or stranded for days.

Walking along the boardwalk is kind of like staying on the straight and narrow. Straying from the path laid out before you can have some negative consequences.

If only following God's will and desires was so obvious... Even with good intentions, sometimes the path is not very obvious at all.

But God leads us in a variety of ways. Sometimes the path is very obvious. We may follow willingly. Or we might try to go our own way. Or perhaps we will delay, hoping that path will remain an option if we come back to it later. Even if the path is clear, it does not guarantee that every person will take that path.

Sometimes the path is pretty clear. But we have a very hard time going down the path. Fortunately, God is pretty patient. If we seek to please him, he will honor even our baby steps as we tentatively move out in a new direction.

Sometimes a narrow path seems too limiting. God gives us free will. If you don't wish to have time with him and be on his team for his purposes, he lets you go (with a few tears). God won't force a person to spend millions of years with him and worshipping him. He will let them go to hell. It isn't God's preference. But he lets people choose hell on their own.

And sometimes, even for believers, the path isn't as clear as we would like. An obvious path through the bog/wilderness/life would sure be handy. Sometimes it is appropriate to wait for further direction. But more often, we are called to step forward in baby steps and more will be revealed later (perhaps when we are ready for it). We can't let fear paralyze us from moving forward into new things. Quite often, God is just waiting for us to take those first steps.

When the path is revealed, how will you respond?

New Game and Web Site - Unity Rocks!

Today I added another web site.

UnityRocks.com

I like to come up with creative ways to communicate a message. Hopefully, I succeeded. The game isn't necessarily "complete". But it is usable as a first draft.

I bought the domain months ago. Even though I had plenty of other things to work on, it seemed like the day to finally get that off my To Do list.

I have plenty of room for improvement for working towards unity as well. So I need to play the game too.

One of goals of the Ethnic Church Directory and I Am Not a Goat sites is also about unity and Christians working together as a body.

Relevant Christianity in Mainline Churches

I finally got a chance to check out the Praise in the Park in Osceola, Wisconsin. It is on Sundays at 6 pm. And I usually can't get to any event at that time due to other commitments.

I am sure the event varies from week to week as different churches lead. At least that appears to be how it works. One unnamed mainline church was leading this past Sunday.

For the most part, it felt like a time warp back 30 or 40 years. Nearly all of the 20 or so attendees were 70 years old and older. Most of the songs that were familiar were ones I hadn't heard in a church or any Christian event since childhood (many years ago).

We all have different musical preferences. But my concern is that the church be relevant. Christianity is very much relevant for life today in America and any other country. But the way it is often presented is as something that hasn't changed since the fifties. I have heard people express concern that teens and young adults don't attend church much. Is the church presenting a message that is relevant for their lives? Is the music style approachable and reflecting the musical tastes of this century? Do the spoken messages address the issues and concerns of real people under the age of 30 or 40? Many people prefer communication via video and other visual media. Is the church using that effectively?

I had a good time at the park. A time of worship is nearly always good. And it helped me on my little project of discovering more of the church "body". It is helpful to discover and know other parts of the church so we can understands roles and needs so we can work together.

Even though I was okay with the Praise in the Park. I doubt very much an unchurched young family in their twenties would feel comfortable there. A Community Worship in Forest Lake the following night had a totally different feel with free food for outreach, songs from the past five years, and a gathering from several churches. We are learning there too. Attendance numbers have struggled over the past few years. We are not connecting as well with the community as we would like either. We are experimenting to see how it can have a greater impact.

If you are a Christian, is the message you are presenting via your groups, and individually, relevant? Are we presenting something people actually want? The "good news" of the gospel has great benefits. There are also great costs as we give up the throne (lordship, ruling) of our lives to trust God. But if the message of the Bible is presented accurately, it is very relevant.

What are we communicating? What are we hearing?

Next up, Kum Ba Ya - They all sat around singing Kum Ba Ya...