When Heaven Scrapes the Pavement

This is not how 2018 was supposed to go.

Less than a week in and I can say that with confidence.

You see I was supposed to finish my BA in May, start Grad School in the fall, and continue growing my writing - both in my own time and at the Copy Writer job I had accepted back in August.

Instead, I walked into my 9-5 on the 2nd of January to find out that 20-25% of the company was being laid-off or terminated...and I was one of the ones destined for a lay-off. I guess that is how it was meant to be. In a department of five, I filled the quota. I was the newest person in the department after all.

Still, it did not seem right.

I had left a job (in retail) that I had worked at for over seven years. Left it to pursue a passion. I was convinced it was the right move. Equal pay, no rude customers, much better hours - but still, now in hindsight, I can't help but have doubts.

Not only that, but I find myself in one of those moments where you and God have those grown-up conversations.

If this were two years ago maybe I would have been able to question the circumstances easier than I can now. Instead, I know that in all things He has a plan. As my wife said, perhaps this is simply Him guiding me back to where He wanted me. I had been working toward one goal since going back to college, then - because things seemed to be falling into place - I changed course.

These are the times when things become too real. This is when you get to prove how true you are when you say that you believe God cares and provides for you. My wife has been more steadfast in that than I have been. Because of that, I have told myself I have to trust things are going to work out.

When there is nothing between you and the pavement you are bound to get scraped up. Jesus didn't say that He needed people who were comfortable to follow Him. Instead, He sought out the ones who struggled in life.

That is not me saying that we should accept defeat.

Instead, these are the moments, the opportunities, I believe He is more than willing to give us a glimpse of heaven. That is if we are willing to look for it.

Will 2018 be one to forget? Maybe. Will it lead to opportunities I'm not able to currently see? Possibly. No matter what, none of it really, truly matters.

He doesn't ask for perfection. He doesn't need riches. He needs trust, faith - without seeing. Times like these set the stage for us to figure out what life is about.

So while I may be disappointed, frustrated, and a million other terms that describe situations you didn't expect to be in - do I wallow on the ground in pain, or do I get up and walk it off?

Do I hide it from others for fear of judgment, or do I embrace the current situation I have been placed in and look for the meaning behind it?

Happy New Year #LvLUp Community...we are finally getting started.

Goldfish x The Kingdom

My wife got me a copy of "TOM and the Goldfish Bowl" by Ben Pasley for Christmas. There were other books I received as well, but this one happened to be in my stocking. Our family opens stocking gifts on Christmas Eve. Since I had finished the book I had been reading  I started in on "TOM". If it had been among the books I opened on Christmas day I may not have chosen this one first.

A big "Thank You" to my wife for placing "TOM" in my stocking.

I have not finished it yet, but I can tell you that the book has a powerful message that is definitely worth discussing. For those who may not know, Pasley is a co-founder of 'Enter the Worship Circle', which has produced some of my favorite worship music. You have probably heard songs like "You Are So Good To Me", "Praise Awaits You", and "I Will Not Forget You" over the years. Well, Pasley was a part of those.

Pasley has authored several books including "Enter the Worship Circle" which I had read, and enjoyed, in the past. I had put "Tom" and another of his books on my Amazon wishlist, and honestly forgot they were there.

So onto why the ideas in this book are worth discussing.

First of all, the debate between "church" and "Church" has gone on for quite some time. It is a topic that I have taken part in. This is not the focus of the book, but it is an important place to start. You see, Pasley's issue is not between the Church and church buildings - even though he acknowledges the problem. As Christianity has struggled he states that the actual problem exists between the Church and the Kingdom of God.

While believers make up the Church, the Kingdom of God is the bigger - most important - entity. The Kingdom of God exists regardless of the Church's involvement, or lack thereof. Jesus told his disciples in Luke 9 to "go and preach the Kingdom of God". One important statement made is that He did not say to go and preach the Church. Instead, Pasley points out, that the building of the Church is Christ's responsibility. Jesus told Peter "I will build My Church" (Matthew 16).

Think about that for a minute.

Think about the countless denominations and church splits. The pettiness and scandals. These things have come about as part of the Church putting effort into building the Church.

What if that effort had been placed into preaching and receiving the Kingdom of God?

Pasley uses the analogy of goldfish in a bowl. The fish are the Church. The bowl, the life-sustaining atmosphere, represents the Kingdom of God. The fish may be able to survive outside of the bowl for a short time. To thrive and live the life they are meant to, they need to be inside the bowl.

To drive home the point, the bowl will continue to exist if the fish are inside of it or not. 

The Church speaks of the Kingdom. We say things like "they are doing great things for the Kingdom", but are we actually understanding what the Kingdom of God is? Do we instead view it as a component of the Church?

Take this passage from Pasley:
"I am not sure how many people understand this failure because of the amount of effort we spend trying to build a better system and then we call it the Church. Our obsession with repairing the Church system is like an engineer's obsession to build a better mousetrap. The question arises, however, and we must pause to ask it: Why build a better mousetrap if catching mice is not even our responsibility?
Dear reader, why should we continue to obsess over building a better Church system if Jesus never asked us to do it in the first place? Why should we obsess over revolutionizing the structures of organizations if they have never been - and will never actually be - the Church? Has that ever been what God required of us?"

I don't know about you, but the backbone of this book has had me contemplating its ideas for the past week. Its thesis makes complete sense in my mind and causes a re-evaluation of past discussions.

We have missed the main issue, especially when it comes to discussions of the Church. At the very least it has become hidden and passed off as part of something much less important.  Churches (the congregational idea of the church) continue to look to grow, to increase their numbers. Is that how we are to gauge what we the Church are doing to proclaim the Kingdom of God? If we are doing what we have been commissioned to do will Christ not hold up His end?

We become so wrapped up in the happenings of our small group we fail to see the vastness of the Kingdom. 

There is a lot of room for discussion here and I hope that as a community this new year will see a growth in dialogue. That is my prayer for LvL Up in 2018. So let's get the ball rolling. This is a topic that has legs to exist far beyond this simple post, but what are your initial thoughts? Where does the perception of the Church and the Kingdom fall today? How can we train ourselves to be focused on the Kingdom?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Click the image to check out "TOM and the Goldish Bowl" on Amazon.

Tiny Windows

Wow, it has been awhile.

Between a new job, a Senior Thesis and the holidays - time has flown by. How are you all doing? Hopefully, now that the last major class is out of the way I will be around more often. At least that is the plan.

The good news is that even in the middle of all the craziness I have not missed a day of devotional reading in over three months now. How have things been going for those in the community? In what ways have you been interacting with God?

I think that through all of this there has been one important truth that I have been shown. It is important to have that fellowship every day, even if it is only 5-10 minutes reading a devotion on your phone. You may not notice it at the time, but when things slow down you realize the impact it has.

God understands how busy our lives can be at times.

Good thing He says that He looks at our hearts/intentions. Routine is good, I try to read my devotional in the morning. It doesn't always work out that way though. I think that is by design though.

We went through a bit of a stressful time at work. There were times where it seemed like I might crack. It was in those times I would notice I hadn't read my devotional for the day. I would take a break and engage in the message God had for me that day.

More often than not it was right on with what was currently happening.

If you think about it I bet you have experienced that as well.

As the song says, He is a good - good father.

Don't be afraid, or ashamed, of the tiny windows. Small or large, they all show what is on the inside. Hopefully, it is desire.

Has the year been stressful? I'm not going to tell you that the upcoming new year can magically be stress-free. What I am saying is there are things you can do to make stressful parts of life manageable. Look for your tiny windows.

#LvL Up

Me-Centered Lives

Today over 20 people were killed in a church shooting in Texas. The terrifying truth is that it is something that could have happened in any church across America.

The question that people are asking is "Why?"

At first this writing was meant to go one way, and I think it will still basically be the same, but I felt a leading that events such as these can be discussed within this realm as well. So here we are. (And we will see how this plays out)

There has been a controversial topic among the church in regards to the focus of worship. It is a divide that no one seems to have a real answer for. You see modern worship has been branded into two different categories. One is the "God-centered" worship that no one is sure to argue against. After all our purpose is to praise and bring glory to him. The second is the more debated "Me-centered" worship that includes an apparent focus on "me" or the collective "we". (Here is a good article that explains this in greater detail) Are we attempting to reclaim some of that glory that rightfully belongs to Christ?

After all what have we done that would be worthy of being mentioned among our Savior? That was what I was hoping to speak on while thinking about what this new post would contain. However, allow me to speak in regards to the events of today. What would cause a 26 year old to walk into a small Baptist church and open fire on the congregation? Why does it seem that everyday it becomes easier for people to claim the lives of others?

I think the simplest answer is that more and more we have come to be a people that has our focus on "ME". After all God is love. If our focus remained on Him then our fruits would display that love. There is very little being reported about this shooter yet, but there must have been a reason he chose that church or a church in general. I feel sadness for that community of believers and for the young man who committed this crazy act, who is now no longer living as well.

I know that there is a noticeable difference in my life when I am wrapped up in what "I" have going on, compared to seeking what God has in store for me. It is much easier to keep what I would want at the forefront of my thoughts, than it is to be joyous if I feel God is leading in another direction. It is part of being human I guess, after all the Bible is full of people who had to deal with this struggle.

I apologize if this comes off as negative against many of the songs that the church loves, especially in modern worship. I play bass from time to time in church and I enjoy playing these songs so don't get me wrong. All I hope to do is to cause people to think and spark a conversation. That we would all continually seek guidance as to what is pleasing and proper in the eyes of God.

Perhaps it is an issue of comfort. If our songs and our preaching solely focused on God and His righteousness too many people would feel alienated. After all we cannot live up to that standard. Take this line that always sticks out to me, "And where You are, Lord I am free. Holiness, is Christ in me." Think about that for just a second. Let me share my thought and if I am wrong please let me know.

Simply put it is this, holiness is Christ alone. Period. I have nothing to do with holiness. But man does it make a person feel good to sing that line though. It portrays a belief that we indeed have a role in His glory. We do, but that is not it. Our role is to praise and live in awe of that holiness. Instead here we are placing ourselves in the middle of it.

That is what has gone on with non-believers as well, to a much greater scale. America has fooled people into believing it is all about them. We are seeing the results of that dangerous thinking. We can condemn such acts as believers, that is easy. The more difficult thing is to make sure that we are setting the example for an unbelieving world. If we are seen as being a group of people just as concerned about "me" and stroking our ego are we fulfilling that with which we are charged with doing? (You know sharing the good news of Christ) We are not perfect, but we know the one who is. Let's make sure that we are striving to point others to Him for answers and guidance. If that happens perhaps these types of instances will be limited, instead of growing.

Ask ourselves honestly, are we living and praising in a way that is God-centered, or Me-centered?

#LvLUp