Deliverance Week 1
Deliverance Week 1
Deliverance Week 1
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I was watching Survivorman re-runs the other day.
At the end of each show, Les Stroud wraps things up with an inspiring monologue. Usually he talks about the challenges that he face in each episodes particular location. At the end of his last show, this is what he said:
“In the adventure known as life:
There are those who live it vicariously and enjoy the ride from the safety of an armchair. And thats good–
There are those who have a few chances to realize incredible and life changing experiences and though they don’t repeat them, they carry with them a growth and personal philosophy for the rest of their lives–
And there are those for whom a taste is never enough. For whom the lust of adventure is nearly insatiable. And if you add to that the overwhelming desire to create and to share then you get where I reside–
For the end of one adventure only signifies the beginning of another.”
Where do you find yourself?
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One of my favorite comedy routines is from Brian Regan when he talks about going to the eye doctor. One of the quotes that he uses to lead into this bit is, “How can instantly improved vision not be at the top of your to do list?”
To make a long story short, I broke down and got a new pair of glasses. Instantly after I put them on, I was actually able to see clearly. Everything that was fuzzy became clear. My eyes were no longer straining to make out words. Everything was sharp. I could see.
In my personal life, I have been spending a lot of time and energy thinking, reading about and practicing different forms of spiritual formation. One of the biggest components of SF is prayer. In all honesty, I have always struggled with making myself stop everything else and pray because of a wrong idea about prayer. I am also not really one to ask for help so it was really difficult for me to sit down and go over my requests with God. For obvious reasons, this really bothered me. As a follower of Christ and especially as a pastor, we need to develop a prayer life, which I would consider a struggle in my life up to this point.
Recently, on a mission to figure out what prayer really is to correct this problem, I discovered that prayer is about being reminded who God is. Most of the time, when we pray, we are asking God to act. Maybe we are in a financial strain, maybe someone is sick, maybe we simply wish life would be different than it currently is so we ask God to give us something to change our situation. But the more I study and practice prayer the more I realize that prayer is not about gaining possessions, it about gaining perspective.
When I got new glasses, I gained a new perspective. All of the sudden, everything became clear. Yet nothing changed. The print in my books didn’t get larger, the letters on the road signs didn’t grow as I passed by, it all simply became more clear. That is what prayer does for us. It reminds us that God is in control; it gives us a new perspective. Prayer is more than a list of things we ask for. It’s reading scripture, journaling, and being silent before God. It’s giving thanks, and being open to God’s will for our lives. All of these prayer practices, remind us who God is. They help us to see that God is working all around us, and that if we are open to him, he is going to work things out for our good and his glory. Prayer helps us to know that even in the toughest of circumstances.
So, if you are at all like I was, frustrated with a lack of prayer in your life, try to mix things up. Try reading some scripture from the Psalms that talks about how big God is. Try sitting down and giving God thanks for all of the things he has provided you with. Try journaling about an issue that you are facing in your life. Get together with a friend or mentor and let them help you see things in a different light. When prayer is stripped down to a wish list for God, we lose the most important attribute in our relationship with God… the perspective that he is. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t ask God to meet our needs. We are instructed in scripture to do that. I am simply saying that in order to sustain a life of prayer, we need to first be reminded who God is so that we know he can and will meet or greatest needs.
Its easy to fall into the trap of thinking I know what’s best for me, and asking God to make that happen. I have come to the point in my life where I realize that I have no idea what’s best for me and furthermore, I don’t want to burdened with that responsibility. God is in control of my life, and my greatest need is not for him to respond to my wish list, rather it is to give me an improved, fresh vision of who he is.
In the words of Brian Regan, “How can instantly improved vision not be at the top of your to do list?”
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What up MyLifeSM??? I decided to post a sweet track for y’all! For reals! It’s a brand new version of an older classic: Let It Rise (Robot Style)
Feel free to listen, download, and distribute.
Posted in Auto Tuner, T-Pain, Robots, Let It Rise, Music | 2 Comments »
In a world that is full of gadgets and gizmos that help us stay in touch, we have become a fragmented society. Very rarely do you ever have a conversation with someone without being interrupted by the outside world.
Even though communication technology is extremely captivating, it definitely has huge negative consequences. We are never fully present anymore. I am amazed that we think it is okay to tweet or check our facebook while we are supposedly engaging in relationship with the people we are around. Its like we are saying to the people we are with, “You are important enough for my full attention until someone else comes knocking on my virtual door.” I know we don’t mean that, and we certainly don’t say that, but we cannot be fully present in two places (ie. in physical conversation and virtual communication) at the same time.
A few days ago, I was hanging out with my wife and checking my twitter account. She said something to me and I completely ignored her. My thinking was that I would finish checking what my fellow tweeters had to say and then I would re-engage in conversation with her. Don’t tell her I actually thought that:). Later on, as I was reflecting on my day, I realized that the tweets of friends that I could read at any time, were more important than giving my wife my undivided attention at that moment. To be honest, this realization really frightened me. I was overwhelmingly bothered by the fact that what was on the screen of my phone was more important than listening to my wife.
So in light of this, I have made a commitment. I am going to do my best to ignore my cell phone in meetings or conversations. I am going to try to do only one thing at a time. I am going to offer my undivided attention to whatever task is before me.
I know that this isn’t going to be easy and that at times I am going to fail. Just last night I was talking to some teens and I got a text on my phone and I read it. The other day I allowed my phone to interrupt a meeting. I am sure that some distraction will sidetrack me today and most-likely tomorrow as well. But now that I am aware of this struggle, I am going to do my best to overcome it. I at least owe that much to myself, my friends and family, and to my God.
So here’s to you social networking devices. You are being downgraded to the trunk. Relationships and the tasks at hand will be the only things in the car with me. I promise to check in with you from time to time to make sure everything is okay, but never again at the cost of being fully present.
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MyLife On Purpose - Week 2 - Life Connected
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MyLife On Purpose - Week 3 - Life Reflected
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MyLife On Purpose 2009 - Week 1 - Life Accepted
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Tonight I was confronted with the world. The messy, screwed up, backwards, sad, hurting, empty, and meaningless, really real world.
Posted in Doubt, Loving God, Discouragement, Gospel, Truth, Life Reflected, Life Connected, Love, Questions, Meaning, Life Accepted, Jesus | 1 Comment »
Last week was action packed.
Next week, I am headed to Orlando with my wife and three other females. I am pumped for the break form business as usual. I am also excited to spend the week with some great people. Being in Orlando will put the icing on the cake. Look out Disney.
I am sad that the Magic lost last night. I knew that it was just a matter of time before the Lakers won, but I didn’t want to believe it. I am not really a Magic fan, but I really like Dwight Howard.
I saw two movies last week, Star Trek and Land of the Lost. I enjoyed both of them. I am not a huge Will Ferrell fan, but this time he did a great job. Star Trek was surprisingly awesome. I never really understood the hype, but enjoyed the movie none the less.
Book I’m Reading: I am still on The Godbearing Life
Music I’m Listening to: ESPN Radio. Sad but true
Funniest Thing From Last Week: I watched a teen girl attempt to swat a bug away from her face, but wound up slapping herself.
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