out of our element and into His

"Until He has us out of our element - and into His - we will never see His glory. We will always be deaf to what He was trying to say."

I was challenged when I read this quote . . . and even more so as I thought back through my life into the times when God did teach me something significant. I can see it in my own life, and have heard friends say similar things, the times when I have really grown and listened to God have been the times when I have been taken out of what is comfortable to me and put into the place where God wanted me. Regardless of whether I thought this was what I wanted at the time, I can look back now and see that it was what God wanted, and it was time of growth in my life . . . and ultimately, it was preparation for what was to come in the future.

Think about it, when we're in the place that we're comfortable in and life is going on as normal it can become quite easy to just go through life, and God becomes nothing more than just a part of our lives, whether we do that intentionally or not. But, when God comes along and makes it clear that He has something to teach us by changing something - either by a move, a job change, or some other circumstance - we are all of a sudden listening pretty carefully. No longer is life that same "normal" that it was and we want to know why, so we listen.

I think we also often resist when God tries to change things to move us out of our element and into His. We've grown comfortable where we're at and we really don't want something to change it. But, we need to be willing in these times to allow God to move us so that we can experience what He has for us.

"Until He has us out our element - and into His - we will never see His glory. We will always be deaf to what He was trying to say."

hmm... not sure what to call this one

So, the other day I came across a link to a YouTube video on a friend's blog. I found it quite amusing when I watched it and thought about posting it right away . . . but held off because it could also be something that people find offensive, not because of content but because of the approach to the topic. After watching it a few more times, I have decided to post it . . . with a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: This video is a satirical look at CCM (Contemporary Christian Music). It has taken the song by Nickelback that is a parody of the life of a rock star and made it about the life of a CCM artist. While there are lines in this song that made me think, I want to be clear that this is not the way I think about all of this. In my opinion, it is a good laugh that also leaves one thinking.



I do honestly hope you enjoyed that video if you took the time to watch it. And that you weren't offended by it in any way.

There are some lines from it that have made m think and they may become the subject of a blog post in the future . . . but we'll see about that.

Note: If you are curious to know more about the song, you can click on the YouTube logo in the right hand corner to go to the video on You Tube. On the right hand side of that screen, you'll see an option for "more information" and clicking on that will give you the explanation from the creator of this video.

the authority of Scripture

I was reading in 2 Timothy earlier today and just stopped on a passage that is well known to many people, but I started thinking about it seriously today.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says:
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

I started wondering whether we actually believe that in the church today. And, then, if we do believe it, do we live like we do.

I think we do believe this - we believe that all Scripture is from God and that it is useful. But, I'm not sure we always live that out. We can say it and we do say it often, but too many times our actions don't line up with what we say.

Think about it for a moment. If ALL of Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, why do we seem to pick certain parts of it that we will do our best to make a reality in our lives and ignore other parts? I know that as fallen humanity we will never be able to perfectly live it, but should we not at least be applying all parts equally to our lives.

If we are going to tell other Christians that they should not be judging others, should we not also be loving our enemies and those who seek to do us harm? If we are going to say that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, should we not also be following Jesus' example of being a servant to all? If we are going to listen to Jesus' teaching on how to pray, should we not also be taking the Great Commission - the command to take the message of the Gospel to the world - seriously and not just leaving that task to a special few who are called to be missionaries?

I wonder how we have made these distinctions. And I don't think we have done this on purpose. Some of them just sound and seem easier than others. But, if all Scripture is God-breathed, then it is all just as important.