The practice of the vision quest is one that goes back for millennia; cultures all over the world have their different traditions. The idea of a vision quest has been one that I've been interested in for years, not along the lines of Native Americas connecting with their spirit ancestors, but in getting alone with God in the wilderness to hear from Him. I've heard people talk about spiritual retreats, or even sabbaticals, where they take a break from ministry and life for a while, to rest and refuel. While these are good practices, I feel that the vision quest is something different, and it's a practice that has been lost in our modern culture.
Vision is one of the most crucial elements of life. The Bible says, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained" (Pr. 29.18a). Vision is the thing that guides all that we do. It gives us direction during difficult and uncertain times. It focuses our efforts to make sure we continue to progress towards the ultimate goal. Vision helps us to pour our efforts and resources into what matters. And for us as men, vision guides us into the mission we were created for by God.
We can waste our entire life, going through the motions, without vision. By the world's standards we could do very well, get the big house, fancy car, promotion, kids through college and on to successful careers, but life is about more than just getting to the end with some money left to leave as an inheritance to your kids and grandkids (though that is a Biblically commendable aspiration, Proverbs 13.22). I've lived that way, and it sucked the life out of me. For a long time my goal was to work, buy a house with some land, put my girls through college, help people along the way, and die an old man. And at this point, that idea terrifies me. I still want a good piece of ground, I'm working towards becoming a professor, in part so my girls get free college, and I want to help people before dying as an old man, but recently my life has become focused on more than that.
Last year I took what would become my first vision quest. It started as a sort of Survival excursion, putting myself in a tame version of an episode of Les Stroud's Survivorman. A pastor friend dropped me off in the woods with minimal supplies, tarp, paracord, my knife, and some water, and I was going to spend two nights alone in the woods. I built my shelter and settled in for the night, and then God began to speak to me.
The next day I got up and began to walk. I found a place to sit and thought about what God had said the previous night, and after processing it, I started walking again. I would walk until God gave me a place to sit, and then He would reveal something else, and the process went on all day. I have the 3x5 index cards still of what God revealed to me during those hours alone with Him in the woods.
In just a few hours I'll be headed out for my second vision quest. This one is going to be shorter than last years, last year was right around 24 hours, this one is going to be less than 20. I've been looking at the ancient practice of the vision quest, and they put my feeble efforts to shame. They involved 3-4 days of preparation, involving a total fast of food and water to cleanse the body. After this you go alone into the wilderness for three days, and then there are practices and rituals for when you return. The entire process was over a week long. Right now I'm lucky to get these few hours, but I hope to one day be able to take three days each summer to get a vision from God for the upcoming year.
I feel that I have a big picture idea of my mission, and where God has my life going, partly the result from last year's quest, and from the journey with my brothers since then. However, the vision is vague in terms of the details on how to get there. God doesn't reveal the entire journey all at once. I think He gives us the destination, and then reveals small sections of the map at a time.
I think all men need a vision quest, and you need to get alone in nature, there are things that cannot be learned anywhere else, and allow God to speak to you about your life, identity, and mission. I'm headed into the woods tonight, the brother I am calling this month is headed out next Friday. There are things God wants to reveal to us that He will not unless we take the time to get alone with Him.
A few thoughts that I've found, though I am by no means an expert:
1) A vision quest needs to involve a fast. Giving up on something your body needs in order to more directly focus on God is important.
2) A vision quest needs to happen in nature. You have to get away from people and technology, all of the distractions, to be alone with God and really hear from Him.
3) A vision quest needs to be approached with an open mind. Go into this expecting to hear from God, but don't have an agenda for when or what God needs to say. Last year I was going to spend two nights in the woods, but God let me know that we were done earlier than that. God spoke to me about things I had never realized, and began a work of healing in my life that has helped me to focus on the real vision.
The practice of vision questing needs to be revived. If we would be the men God called us to be, we have to get His vision for our lives, and that only happens through intentionally seeking Him. The Bible is full of accounts of men going off into the wilderness to hear from God, and returning with their mission to undertake. Let us follow their example.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Friday, July 28, 2017
Monday, July 24, 2017
Muscle Memory, by Aaron
Have you ever started working out for a month and then stopped working out for like three months because of being busy? When I was in high school and college I used to work out faithfully 3-5 times a week. After I graduated from college I started to work out a little less, more like three days a week. Once I got married I started working out more like 2-3 times a week. When my wife and I had our first child, I started exercising as I had time (which was not much). If some of you are in my same boat, it does not take long for our muscles to decrease in size and strength. The good news is that there is new research showing that even though a person stops training, they still exhibit the same amount of muscle memory (myonuclei).
Without getting too nerdy, I’m going to try to explain the concept of myonuclei. Every muscle is composed of multiple muscle fibers, which are composed of multiple nuclei to keep it simple. Think of a nucleus as the heart of every cell, it is basically the control center of the muscle. As we train our bodies (especially resistance training) there is an increase in muscle fibers, as well as an increase in myonuclei. Basically, the more myonuclei we have the stronger those muscles will become. So this research is showing that as we stop our training (for whatever reason) even though our muscle fibers decrease in strength and size, the amount of myonuclei we have stays the same for up to 1 1/2 to 2 years after our last workout. That means that for those individuals that have stopped training, once they start training again they will gain their max strength back quicker than before. So if it took a person 4 months to bench press 225 pounds and then they stopped for two months; when they start up again maybe it would only take them 1 1/2 months to get back to that 225 pound bench press.
So you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with God? The concept of myonuclei has everything to do with God, it is oozing with the Glory of the Father. I’ve written about this in the past, but the complexity of the human body shows me how much detail God put into His creation. The crazy thing is that it only took Him one day to create Adam. I just recently learned of this new research behind muscle memory. As I further studied this subject, I began to reflect on my faith and how it correlates to the human body. There are many seasons when I feel like I am closer to the Lord, because I am getting fed in the Word or am continually in prayer with the Lord. There are also seasons when I feel like I am not as close, because I am not in the Word as much. I feel like my faith is not as strong because I am not in relationship with the Father as much. My strength begins to decrease as I continually avoid making time for the Lord. Usually my busyness includes making plans with friends, watching television, playing games on my phone, and the list goes on.
Luckily our Father has given us grace. This grace that God has given us comes from his immeasurable love that He has for each one of us. Even as our faith begins to decrease, the Lord does not leave us alone. Many times the Holy Spirit will begin to nudge my spirit. He is saying to me “Aaron I really miss you” come talk to the Father. As I begin to get back into the Word and get back into prayer my strength comes back quicker than before, similar to the concept of myonuclei. But the best part about our faith compared to muscle memory is that no matter how long we go away or how off the deep end we go, God is still going to be there for us. There is nothing we can do that God would turn his face away from us. In scripture Hebrews 13:5 reads "Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you". We started a series at church last week about different seasons in our lives. There will be good seasons, great seasons, bad seasons, and maybe even devastating seasons. Hebrews 13 is such great news because we do not have to travel through these seasons alone. The Father will be right there with us including; smiling with us during the good seasons or holding us during those rough seasons.
So just remember when you are working out, if you skip a few days (or weeks) it is okay. You may not start where you left off, but you will get back to where you were a little sooner than before. The goal is never to skip a day, to take any shortcuts, to sin in life. The reality is that we will fall short every single time, but never forget what you have learned about the Father. Use your muscle memory when you are struggling with your past sins, or about to speak to somebody else about the Lord. Remember that scripture that you have read over 100 times, so that it will help you speak to others about the Lord. Use all those personal experiences you had in your alone time with God to keep your faith strong, so that when a close friend or family member that passes away unexpectedly, you do not question whether God still loves you. Use that muscle memory when your feel like your Faith has hit rock bottom, so that you remember how much joy you had just a season ago. Use that as motivation to get back into relationship with Him. It is never too late to ask forgiveness, and to just cling on to Jesus. Myonuclei, such a complex concept that God created, but it so awesome to think about. God you are an amazing creator!!
Peace and God Bless!!
Without getting too nerdy, I’m going to try to explain the concept of myonuclei. Every muscle is composed of multiple muscle fibers, which are composed of multiple nuclei to keep it simple. Think of a nucleus as the heart of every cell, it is basically the control center of the muscle. As we train our bodies (especially resistance training) there is an increase in muscle fibers, as well as an increase in myonuclei. Basically, the more myonuclei we have the stronger those muscles will become. So this research is showing that as we stop our training (for whatever reason) even though our muscle fibers decrease in strength and size, the amount of myonuclei we have stays the same for up to 1 1/2 to 2 years after our last workout. That means that for those individuals that have stopped training, once they start training again they will gain their max strength back quicker than before. So if it took a person 4 months to bench press 225 pounds and then they stopped for two months; when they start up again maybe it would only take them 1 1/2 months to get back to that 225 pound bench press.
So you may be asking yourself, what does this have to do with God? The concept of myonuclei has everything to do with God, it is oozing with the Glory of the Father. I’ve written about this in the past, but the complexity of the human body shows me how much detail God put into His creation. The crazy thing is that it only took Him one day to create Adam. I just recently learned of this new research behind muscle memory. As I further studied this subject, I began to reflect on my faith and how it correlates to the human body. There are many seasons when I feel like I am closer to the Lord, because I am getting fed in the Word or am continually in prayer with the Lord. There are also seasons when I feel like I am not as close, because I am not in the Word as much. I feel like my faith is not as strong because I am not in relationship with the Father as much. My strength begins to decrease as I continually avoid making time for the Lord. Usually my busyness includes making plans with friends, watching television, playing games on my phone, and the list goes on.
Luckily our Father has given us grace. This grace that God has given us comes from his immeasurable love that He has for each one of us. Even as our faith begins to decrease, the Lord does not leave us alone. Many times the Holy Spirit will begin to nudge my spirit. He is saying to me “Aaron I really miss you” come talk to the Father. As I begin to get back into the Word and get back into prayer my strength comes back quicker than before, similar to the concept of myonuclei. But the best part about our faith compared to muscle memory is that no matter how long we go away or how off the deep end we go, God is still going to be there for us. There is nothing we can do that God would turn his face away from us. In scripture Hebrews 13:5 reads "Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you". We started a series at church last week about different seasons in our lives. There will be good seasons, great seasons, bad seasons, and maybe even devastating seasons. Hebrews 13 is such great news because we do not have to travel through these seasons alone. The Father will be right there with us including; smiling with us during the good seasons or holding us during those rough seasons.
So just remember when you are working out, if you skip a few days (or weeks) it is okay. You may not start where you left off, but you will get back to where you were a little sooner than before. The goal is never to skip a day, to take any shortcuts, to sin in life. The reality is that we will fall short every single time, but never forget what you have learned about the Father. Use your muscle memory when you are struggling with your past sins, or about to speak to somebody else about the Lord. Remember that scripture that you have read over 100 times, so that it will help you speak to others about the Lord. Use all those personal experiences you had in your alone time with God to keep your faith strong, so that when a close friend or family member that passes away unexpectedly, you do not question whether God still loves you. Use that muscle memory when your feel like your Faith has hit rock bottom, so that you remember how much joy you had just a season ago. Use that as motivation to get back into relationship with Him. It is never too late to ask forgiveness, and to just cling on to Jesus. Myonuclei, such a complex concept that God created, but it so awesome to think about. God you are an amazing creator!!
Peace and God Bless!!
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Living by Faith and Not in Fear, by Ryan
I wanted to post the sermon from the church I attend (Vineyard Columbus) that was preached over the weekend by Dr. Charles Montgomery. As the title says, he preaches about how to live by faith and not be fearful with the main text being Psalm 27:1-6. It really spoke to me about how I should not fear or be anxious because of who Jesus is and what He did (and does) for me. Christ is our Guide (light) and Protection!
Enjoy!
Living by Faith and Not in Fear
Enjoy!
Living by Faith and Not in Fear
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Hold Your Ground, by Will
A few weeks ago at work a few of us were sitting around killing time before work, and somehow we got on the subject of a video where a young buffalo is being chased by wolves, and then an older buffalo comes and plows through the young buffalo to save itself. It seems to be the animal version of two people running from a bear and one guy shooting the other in the leg in order to save himself. I did a YouTube search for the video, but instead of finding that one, I found one that described how wolves hunt buffalo.
The video pointed out that for the wolves to be successful they have to attack from behind, and that the buffalo know if they stand and face the wolves they have the advantage. Though standoffs sometimes last for days, the buffalo eventually lose their nerve, run for it, and give the advantage to the wolves. Wolves are scary, but buffalo are big. No wolf will ever attack a buffalo head on, and all the buffalo has to do is stand firm, holding its ground, and the wolves are powerless. This strategy requires nerve and patience, courage and discipline, but it is successful.
One of the biggest issues facing the millennial generation is our desire for instant gratification. We live in a world of Amazon Prime (I have a prime account), Netflix, YouTube, pre-broken in and worn out clothing, we don't have to wait for a lot of things, but the things we don't have to wait for aren't things that really matter. The mindset of instant gratification has a negative impact on the rest of our lives. We get frustrated when we don't see instant progress or rewards for our work. Taking it to the Spiritual realm, when we don't get an immediate answer to prayer we give up. We see the wolves, figure if we stand up to them they'll immediately back down, and when they don't we turn and run and get picked off. The thing is, the wolves have learned patience, it's how they survive.
I've been wrestling with this idea for years now, but for the first time have really been able to identify the root issue, and it all comes down to not wanting to wait, and when the answer isn't immediate, I get discouraged, frustrated, and then start blaming various things for why I'm where I am in life. It all comes down to the fact that I didn't hold my ground. I saw the wolves, stared at them, but they didn't run, and when they didn't I decided I had better move, but wolves are fast.
Years ago in college Aaron and I used to watch this show called Deadliest Warrior. They would take two warriors who had never met, compare their weapons, tactics, and training, and then simulate a fight with the data to see who would win. This was when I started to learn about the Spartans (who were undefeated on the show). The movie 300 is horribly historically inaccurate, but there is one scene that really stands out to me. On the eve of what will be the last stand of Leonidas and his warriors at Thermopylae, he speaks to his men with these words, "No retreat, no surrender, that is Spartan law; and by Spartan law we will stand and fight, and die." When a Spartan warrior received his shield, it came with the words, "Return with your shield, or on it." For the Spartans, there was no retreat and no surrender. They either returned from war victorious, or they died on the battlefield. The ultimate honor for a Spartan man was to die in the defense of Sparta. They stood firm, shields overlapped, facing the enemy, and they were an unstoppable force.
That is how I want to live my life. No retreat, no surrender. Stand firm and hold your ground.
1 Corinthians 16.13, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
Ephesians 6.10-17, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Philippians 4.1, "Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved."
God calls us to patiently trust Him, standing firm in our faith in Him, and believing that He will act, guiding us into things far beyond anything we could ever think or imagine (Ephesians 3.20-21). Sometimes it takes Him a while to act. In Wild at Heart, John Eldredge says:
"Then the Lord intervened" is perhaps the single most common phrase about him in Scripture, in one form or another. Look at the stories he writes. There's the one where the children of Israel are pinned against the Red Sea, no way out, with Pharaoh and his army barreling down on them in murderous fury. Then God shows up. There's Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who get rescued only after they're thrown into the fiery furnace. Then God shows up. He lets the mob kill Jesus, bury him ... then he shows up. Do you know why God loves writing such incredible stories? Because he loves to come through. He loves to show us he has what it takes. Against Goliath, a seasoned solider and a trained killer, he sends ... a freckle-faced little shepherd kid with a slingshot. Most commanders going into battle want as many infantry as they can get. God cuts Gideon's army from thirty-two thousand to three hundred. Then he equips the ragtag little band that's left with torches and watering pots. It's not just a battle or two that God takes his chances with, either. Have you thought about his handling of the gospel? God needs to get a message out to the human race, without which they will perish ... forever. What's the plan? First, he starts with the most unlikely group ever: a couple of prostitutes, a few fisherman with no better than a second grade education, a tax collector. Then, he passes the ball to us. Unbelievable. (p. 32-3, 2011)
People say God will never give you more than you can handle, which isn't right. When they say this they are referring to the Bible saying that God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, and that when you face temptation He will give you a way out (1 Corinthians 10.13). God will not let you face anything He cannot handle. The Bible says over and over to stand firm in the Lord, in our faith in Him. No retreat, no surrender, that is the law of faith in God.
God does not change, He will come through, but it may be after a standoff that lasts days and days. If we run, we get picked off, but if we stand firm in God, the wolves can't touch us. James 4.7 says, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." When we trust God, Satan will flee. He isn't afraid of us, and history has shown that man is weak and will cave under enough pressure, so he will be patient and wait. But when we stand firm in God, he will eventually flee.
What are you standing firm for? You marriage? Your kids? A ministry? A God given dream? What wolves are staring you down? If you give up and run, that's it, but if you stand firm, the enemy will eventually flee. If we would embrace all of the promises of God, we have to lose the mindset of instant gratification, and be willing to engage in a stand off, refusing to give up, refusing to back down, refusing to run.
I feel like I have to add that things may not always work out as we think, after all, there are things we fight for that depend on the freewill of others, but what they do is not up to us, and we are not responsible for their actions or choices. We are only responsible for us, and if we stand firm in God, He will do abundantly more than anything we would ever think or ask for.
No retreat. No surrender. Stand and fight, and die. Hold your ground.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
The video pointed out that for the wolves to be successful they have to attack from behind, and that the buffalo know if they stand and face the wolves they have the advantage. Though standoffs sometimes last for days, the buffalo eventually lose their nerve, run for it, and give the advantage to the wolves. Wolves are scary, but buffalo are big. No wolf will ever attack a buffalo head on, and all the buffalo has to do is stand firm, holding its ground, and the wolves are powerless. This strategy requires nerve and patience, courage and discipline, but it is successful.
One of the biggest issues facing the millennial generation is our desire for instant gratification. We live in a world of Amazon Prime (I have a prime account), Netflix, YouTube, pre-broken in and worn out clothing, we don't have to wait for a lot of things, but the things we don't have to wait for aren't things that really matter. The mindset of instant gratification has a negative impact on the rest of our lives. We get frustrated when we don't see instant progress or rewards for our work. Taking it to the Spiritual realm, when we don't get an immediate answer to prayer we give up. We see the wolves, figure if we stand up to them they'll immediately back down, and when they don't we turn and run and get picked off. The thing is, the wolves have learned patience, it's how they survive.
I've been wrestling with this idea for years now, but for the first time have really been able to identify the root issue, and it all comes down to not wanting to wait, and when the answer isn't immediate, I get discouraged, frustrated, and then start blaming various things for why I'm where I am in life. It all comes down to the fact that I didn't hold my ground. I saw the wolves, stared at them, but they didn't run, and when they didn't I decided I had better move, but wolves are fast.
Years ago in college Aaron and I used to watch this show called Deadliest Warrior. They would take two warriors who had never met, compare their weapons, tactics, and training, and then simulate a fight with the data to see who would win. This was when I started to learn about the Spartans (who were undefeated on the show). The movie 300 is horribly historically inaccurate, but there is one scene that really stands out to me. On the eve of what will be the last stand of Leonidas and his warriors at Thermopylae, he speaks to his men with these words, "No retreat, no surrender, that is Spartan law; and by Spartan law we will stand and fight, and die." When a Spartan warrior received his shield, it came with the words, "Return with your shield, or on it." For the Spartans, there was no retreat and no surrender. They either returned from war victorious, or they died on the battlefield. The ultimate honor for a Spartan man was to die in the defense of Sparta. They stood firm, shields overlapped, facing the enemy, and they were an unstoppable force.
That is how I want to live my life. No retreat, no surrender. Stand firm and hold your ground.
1 Corinthians 16.13, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
Ephesians 6.10-17, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Philippians 4.1, "Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved."
God calls us to patiently trust Him, standing firm in our faith in Him, and believing that He will act, guiding us into things far beyond anything we could ever think or imagine (Ephesians 3.20-21). Sometimes it takes Him a while to act. In Wild at Heart, John Eldredge says:
"Then the Lord intervened" is perhaps the single most common phrase about him in Scripture, in one form or another. Look at the stories he writes. There's the one where the children of Israel are pinned against the Red Sea, no way out, with Pharaoh and his army barreling down on them in murderous fury. Then God shows up. There's Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who get rescued only after they're thrown into the fiery furnace. Then God shows up. He lets the mob kill Jesus, bury him ... then he shows up. Do you know why God loves writing such incredible stories? Because he loves to come through. He loves to show us he has what it takes. Against Goliath, a seasoned solider and a trained killer, he sends ... a freckle-faced little shepherd kid with a slingshot. Most commanders going into battle want as many infantry as they can get. God cuts Gideon's army from thirty-two thousand to three hundred. Then he equips the ragtag little band that's left with torches and watering pots. It's not just a battle or two that God takes his chances with, either. Have you thought about his handling of the gospel? God needs to get a message out to the human race, without which they will perish ... forever. What's the plan? First, he starts with the most unlikely group ever: a couple of prostitutes, a few fisherman with no better than a second grade education, a tax collector. Then, he passes the ball to us. Unbelievable. (p. 32-3, 2011)
People say God will never give you more than you can handle, which isn't right. When they say this they are referring to the Bible saying that God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, and that when you face temptation He will give you a way out (1 Corinthians 10.13). God will not let you face anything He cannot handle. The Bible says over and over to stand firm in the Lord, in our faith in Him. No retreat, no surrender, that is the law of faith in God.
God does not change, He will come through, but it may be after a standoff that lasts days and days. If we run, we get picked off, but if we stand firm in God, the wolves can't touch us. James 4.7 says, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." When we trust God, Satan will flee. He isn't afraid of us, and history has shown that man is weak and will cave under enough pressure, so he will be patient and wait. But when we stand firm in God, he will eventually flee.
What are you standing firm for? You marriage? Your kids? A ministry? A God given dream? What wolves are staring you down? If you give up and run, that's it, but if you stand firm, the enemy will eventually flee. If we would embrace all of the promises of God, we have to lose the mindset of instant gratification, and be willing to engage in a stand off, refusing to give up, refusing to back down, refusing to run.
I feel like I have to add that things may not always work out as we think, after all, there are things we fight for that depend on the freewill of others, but what they do is not up to us, and we are not responsible for their actions or choices. We are only responsible for us, and if we stand firm in God, He will do abundantly more than anything we would ever think or ask for.
No retreat. No surrender. Stand and fight, and die. Hold your ground.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Go Boldly, by Ryan
A number of the posts of this blog have referenced boldness and I wanted to share some thoughts on this topic as well. This is an area where God has been challenging me these last few months. I attended a Men's Retreat in April in North Carolina for the third straight year in 2017. The church that a good friend from college attends (not in our group of bloggers) has held an annual Men's Retreat for the last 22 years and I have been blessed to be a part of the three most recent. The focus this year was boldness. The memory verse for the half week was 2 Corinthians 3:12, which says "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold" (NIV). (Note: Credit to speaker Brian Charette - the quotations are from him).
What is the "hope" that the verse is referencing? Paul is talking about the New Covenant that we have in Jesus and how he is alive within us! "We can be boldbecause of the Hope we have in Christ. In fact we can consider boldness to be the proof - or the observable evidence - that others see because we have hope found through Christ." We tend to 'hope' for many different things: good job, close friendships, strong marriage, etc. Those are all good, but it starts with the hope we have in Christ and what He did for us. We can go boldly to God in our prayer time by asking him to change us to be more like Jesus.
It's very easy for us to yearn for comfort and not be bold. After a long day at work, it isn't too difficult for us to put on comfy clothes and take a seat on our couch or favorite chair, turn on the TV and next thing we know 2 hours have passed. From a spiritual standpoint, it's easy for us to keep to ourselves about our faith in Jesus, only talking about Him to those who believe in Him also or not doing something God is speaking to us about because it would be uncharted territory for us. I know I too often get sucked in to a comfort zone and don't take any risks in my spiritual journey. There have been too many times that I passed up an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone or had a chance to show God's love and let my comfort be the reason. "Our comfort zone is made up of: fear, shame, (our desire to) control, and confusion (of who God is)." We can fear the unknown, be shameful because of past failures, and "our pursuit of control lies to us about what makes us safe, strong, and gives us life."
Peter's story in the New Testament is intriguing - I won't dive in to his life leading up to Christ's execution in this post because I want to drill down to how Peter goes from a coward to being very bold. Peter goes from denying knowing Jesus three times to becoming a main cog in building up the church in the book of Acts and speaking to many about his witness of Jesus' life. His transformation is a great example of confusion of who God is. What changed in Peter? "(Jesus) is not only the reason for our boldness, but the very source of it. Perhaps that's what happened to Peter. After Peter betrayed Jesus, something began to change in him. On the other side of the resurrection Peter realized two things. He realized who Jesus really was and Peter realized who he really was - desperate and needy for the presence of God, a great debtor, whom God would faithfully carry for the rest of his life."
I want to continue to challenge myself to be bold by remembering the hope that we have in Jesus as he took our rightful place upon the cross. More specifically, I want to be more intentional about sharing my faith and what Jesus has done to change me (as a few of the others have posted in this blog). May we go boldly as men by showing and sharing Christ's love with the world and asking Him to continue changing us to be more Christ-like! I will leave you with one last quote from Brian followed by a song by Rend Collective (one of my favorite bands the last few years): "You will be bold when you are close to Jesus - when you invest in your relationship with Him, when you dig deeply and regularly in to His Word. The Mighty One is the source of all boldness. Get close!"
Boldly I Approach
What is the "hope" that the verse is referencing? Paul is talking about the New Covenant that we have in Jesus and how he is alive within us! "We can be boldbecause of the Hope we have in Christ. In fact we can consider boldness to be the proof - or the observable evidence - that others see because we have hope found through Christ." We tend to 'hope' for many different things: good job, close friendships, strong marriage, etc. Those are all good, but it starts with the hope we have in Christ and what He did for us. We can go boldly to God in our prayer time by asking him to change us to be more like Jesus.
It's very easy for us to yearn for comfort and not be bold. After a long day at work, it isn't too difficult for us to put on comfy clothes and take a seat on our couch or favorite chair, turn on the TV and next thing we know 2 hours have passed. From a spiritual standpoint, it's easy for us to keep to ourselves about our faith in Jesus, only talking about Him to those who believe in Him also or not doing something God is speaking to us about because it would be uncharted territory for us. I know I too often get sucked in to a comfort zone and don't take any risks in my spiritual journey. There have been too many times that I passed up an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone or had a chance to show God's love and let my comfort be the reason. "Our comfort zone is made up of: fear, shame, (our desire to) control, and confusion (of who God is)." We can fear the unknown, be shameful because of past failures, and "our pursuit of control lies to us about what makes us safe, strong, and gives us life."
Peter's story in the New Testament is intriguing - I won't dive in to his life leading up to Christ's execution in this post because I want to drill down to how Peter goes from a coward to being very bold. Peter goes from denying knowing Jesus three times to becoming a main cog in building up the church in the book of Acts and speaking to many about his witness of Jesus' life. His transformation is a great example of confusion of who God is. What changed in Peter? "(Jesus) is not only the reason for our boldness, but the very source of it. Perhaps that's what happened to Peter. After Peter betrayed Jesus, something began to change in him. On the other side of the resurrection Peter realized two things. He realized who Jesus really was and Peter realized who he really was - desperate and needy for the presence of God, a great debtor, whom God would faithfully carry for the rest of his life."
I want to continue to challenge myself to be bold by remembering the hope that we have in Jesus as he took our rightful place upon the cross. More specifically, I want to be more intentional about sharing my faith and what Jesus has done to change me (as a few of the others have posted in this blog). May we go boldly as men by showing and sharing Christ's love with the world and asking Him to continue changing us to be more Christ-like! I will leave you with one last quote from Brian followed by a song by Rend Collective (one of my favorite bands the last few years): "You will be bold when you are close to Jesus - when you invest in your relationship with Him, when you dig deeply and regularly in to His Word. The Mighty One is the source of all boldness. Get close!"
Boldly I Approach
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