God's Will For Your Life

Vocational ministers or professional clergy get to hear questions from people that are not normally asked in casual conversation. The questions change a little bit depending on the role; pastor, chaplain, evangelist, or missionary. The questions, however, are consistent in large part. One of the common questions is "What is God's will for my life?" I heard it often as a youth pastor and I thought it would diminish as I transitioned to ministering to adults predominantly. It hasn't. People's thoughts of their lives and God's plan and purpose for them seem to transcend generations. The part that is interesting to me and my subject today is not specifically God's will for your life, or you knowing that will, but your motivation in wanting to know it.

Seasons and Change

We are three quarters of the way through September and that means a number of things. County fairs and harvest festivals are taking place all over the country. The kids are settling back into school. The weather is starting to cool down. Being a New Englander by birth I think there is something inherent in Autumn that causes you to be a bit nostalgic. Autumn arriving also shows us the wonderful plan God put into motion during creation. It is part of the circle of seasons that is so representative of life. If you are like me, Disney's The Circle of Life from The Lion King is now playing in your head. Your welcome. At this seasonal change I return to my favorite Old Testament book, Ecclesiastes.

Love, Gongs and Knowledge

I love weddings. I find every aspect of a wedding fun, and at times entertaining. I enjoy the premarital counseling and planning. It's fun to watch the busyness of the bride's mom and friends as they fret over every minute detail. I find it funny that no one wants anything less than perfection from the flowers to the sound to the music, but they never notice the inevitable slip up or mistake. Then there are the games that the groomsmen play. The things they do that make the bride absolutely nervous. It's all so very enjoyable for me. There is an element to just about every christian wedding, and many secular weddings here in America, that is almost never left out. In a christian wedding it's read or quoted as scripture, and in a secular wedding it's read as a poem. You know the passage. It starts, "Love is patient, love is kind..." and is found in 1 Corinthians 13. Today I'm asking, "Is this passage only meant for weddings? What about the surrounding scripture?"

I Am Compelled

Summer is over and my children are uttering the all too familiar "I'm bored" less now that there is home work and school night bed times. When they do utter that amazing phrase I have to smile and ask, "Would you like me to find you something to do?" They almost never take me up on it. When they do they begrudgingly do what I've asked them only halfheartedly. It's obvious they don't want to. The same holds true for us followers  of Jesus Christ. We get so caught up in the emotion or experiencing of life that when the "good feeling" isn't there, we get bored. We get caught up in routine. It's as if we are saying to God, "I'm bored." There is a scriptural answer to this phenomenon.

Experiences Impact Who We Are

I enjoy watching people. I like to observe people in their regular surroundings and try to figure who they are and how they got to be who they are. I really enjoy sitting down over a cup of coffee with someone I've just met and listening to their story. It amazes me how people adapt to different things in their life and those circumstances and adaptations mold who they are today. Being a minister, folks tend to shift to stories of their journey of faith. That's great, but I like to hear the other stuff too. Whether we want to admit it or not, everything we experience in life effects who we are. There is a group that I would have loved to observe and sit down over a cup of coffee and talk to. I would have loved to watch the calling and molding of the apostles.

Making Deals With God

I have a ten year old son. He is just starting to exhibit those tween tendencies. You know the ones: procrastination, the eye rolls, attitude starting to show, incessant deal making. Sometimes I think he forgets we were youth pastors for many years and know many of the tricks. The thing is if we don't address these issues now, they will grow and worsen as he grows and will effect his relationships with other people and with God. Let's look at the one of these that can effect us very deeply and effect our relationship with Jesus.

Arrows Pointed Out and Arrows Pointed In

There is a popular concept in emerging churches today. It is arrows pointed out. The main premise is to make sure you are focusing on others before you focus on your self. I have many friends who are part of churches that use this to describe the way they achieve the Great Commission. It is a concept I have taught and preached on many times. There is a potential for imbalance though. As with anything, when the heart attitude is wrong, the action has no lasting effect or spiritual advantage.

To Please God or to Please Man

To please God or to please man? That is the question. It's not exactly Shakespeare, but it is a question we must all answer as we face different decisions and challenges each and every day. It amazes me how many people are more concerned about what other people think of them than what God thinks of them. It also amazes me how often people quote Galatians 1:10 in an effort to justify carnal decisions they have already made.