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.

Bald Isn't Beautiful

Due to some circumstances, I have not been able to replace worn tires on my car. And now all four are bald with at least one preparing to blow soon. So far they have held out. And I have held off letting anyone else drive the car until I can get that fixed some day, some month.

Winter driving with bald tires has been quite stressful at times. Both stopping and starting have been a challenge many days. But I have stayed between the ditches with no collisions or heart attacks. God has been gracious.

Yesterday we got a heavy wet snow that left a layer of ice on most roads. I stayed at work until 6:30 p.m. hoping there would be less traffic for the hour-plus drive home. There was still some daylight.

In an effort to get to a freeway and plowed roads soon, I took my usual route. Yankee Doodle Road (a real name) is mostly up hill leaving the Minnesota River valley where I work. I slipped a little at the first stop light. But that was okay.

The next one was quite interesting. I stopped going up hill just fine. I was first in line. After the light turned green, I made little progress. Other cars ended up going around me. I even backed up a little after spinning towards the curb. Seeing little forward progress, I attempted to turn right on a mostly level side street. I did not even get that far before the light turned red again. I yielded to another vehicle and finally made some progress on the side street. I turned into an uphill driveway to turn around so I could back on to the street downhill. From the side street, I was able to get some momentum to eventually get up the hill. But that progress was mostly via bogged down anti-spin control and an occasional spin.

At the top of the hill, it was still icy. I made it safely through the intersections and down onto the freeway. The road home was slippery in many areas. I was content to make steady progress at 30-40 miles per hour. I was glad the rest of the route required no stopping, and especially not the usual stopping uphill in downtown Saint Paul.

So why do I share all this? Life is like that some days, some seasons. There are times we do all we can with all the resources we have. And still, progress appears to be minimal, if at all.

That can certainly be frustrating and disappointing. It can be confusing as well. Not all of life has a neat tidy ending. After repeated setbacks, there is a temptation to give up hope and quit trying.

But we must go on. God has kept us alive because he still has plans for us. So persevere we must. Most of the time those periods with little (apparent) progress eventually come to an end. And we can sometimes learn things from the experience in hindsight.

Some things in life we just need to move through hoping for better things ahead. I have had, and am in, some great challenges. You may be too. So I have to tell me, you, us, to not give up hope. Make those adjustments in direction and perhaps methods. Perhaps try another route to the destination. And maybe, just maybe, you will come out of the experience stronger and with new insight you could not have learned any other way.

Even with baby steps, keep moving forward.

We Are Going to State!

It has been tournament time once again. Even my high school returned to the basketball tournament after missing it for 35 years. And I am reminded I still haven't written my "Going to State" thoughts that have been hanging around in the back of my head for at least three years.

It is with great excitement that most schools and individuals exclaim "We are going to State!" This is especially true for those who rarely have that opportunity. Going to State is an honor.

As part of any tournament or competition, the competition gets tougher with each step. This is true whether you are competing in sports, music, speech, drama, quiltmaking, or some other activity. Each level brings greater and greater challenges. And we look forward to that.

We know that the challenges will reveal our capabilities, our limitations, and our possibilities. But regardless of the risks and the cost involved, we still regard it as an honor.

But then there is real life... We hear others, and perhaps ourselves, complain about our challenges. Despite the testimonies of many that challenges made them stronger, we still tend to complain when circumstances are difficult.

Besides the people around us, even nature shows us the benefits of difficulties. Roots go deeper during drought. Plants and animals can get tougher in the most trying times. And we can too.

One of the "benefits" of a whole bunch of "challenges" is that we can learn to persevere. And the next challenges don't seem so daunting when they aren't a huge step bigger than the past "impossible" situations we lived through.

I haven't consistently conquered the temptations of attitude. I can complain with the best or worst of them and I have my moments of pity. I too often forget God's faithfulness in helping me through past challenges. And I would be lying if I claimed to look forward to every hard time coming my way. But over time, a person truly can have some peace regardless of circumstances. And eventually I might be able to occasionally embrace the difficulties with the hope of what may result from the experience.

Are you looking forward to "Going to State", or whatever big challenge may be in your future?