Self Awareness

The people I hang with like to say that evangelism and discipleship are "getting to know someone personally, finding out where they are spiritually, and helping them take the next step." I think this definition is ingenious because it emphasizes progression/growth but is not a one size fits all approach. It allows for customization for the individual and is also communal.

If I'm going to put myself in step 2 (finding out where I am spiritually), it seems to me that being self aware is of utmost importance. By self awareness, I mean the act of objectively looking at one's self to determine the state of affairs for a given area of life. It is the getting an outside perspective instead of just looking through life through our own set of glasses. It is, to continue the spectacle metaphor, to get a different set of glasses by which we view ourselves.

To move forward, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, or physically, one must first realize where they are. It does no good to do something that is not helpful. Yet that is what many people do. I've known of people who spend their entire lives in an emotional or spiritual rut because they've never taken the time to evaluate their own position in life. The result has been incredible frustration and a destructive lifestyle that is harmful the the person him/herself as well as others. However much effort given, these people continue to spiral downward because of a simple fact that they don't know where they are or that there even is a scale to be plotted on. Before they can move forward, they must first get an idea of where/what they are. Only then can they know what to do next.

Father, help us to embrace the counsel of other people who love You and love us. Guide our hearts to be humble and receptive to direction and correction, in order that we might continue to be more like Jesus as the days, years and decades go by. Let our posture be that of brokenness so that we can be useful in Your hands.

Loving People

Loving people is doing what is best FOR THEM, whatever the cost. It can involve feelings/emotions but is first a decision to act in their best interest. Love effects the emotions since it's hard to be kind and patient (see 1Cor 13) with people without emotion. But it is not strictly, nor primarily an emotion. Love is laying down one's life (and self interests) for someone else (see Rom 5:8).

It's just so crazy how many people think that love is only an emotion. People fall in and out of love because they have an incomplete and therefore, faulty view of love. The result is one revolving door relationship after another. Since our emotions are so fickle, they come and go. When someone quits feeling a certain way about someone else, they mistake it for a lack of love, when it could be that love was never present in the first place...at least, not anything other than love of self.

Father, help us to truly love others as you've commanded. Give us a keen awareness of the joy and cost of such a love that was displayed for us in Your Son. Find us faithful to enjoy the experience of giving our lives for others so that Christ can be formed in us.

Joy in God

I'm re-reading Piper's Desiring God for the first time in about 10 years. Btw, it's available free online now....click here.

The following thoughts were prompted by chapter 4 on "Love."

Given that God is a being who loves certain things and is completely full of joy in such, it would make sense that as we love what He loves we will be filled with the same joy. In order to do this, we must see what He sees. That is the job of the Scriptures (Rom 12:1-2) and Christian community (see the "one another" passages in the New Testament). As we view life from His viewpoint, we're aligning our desires with His desires and therefore, full of joy.

Father, help us to approach our devotional reading in the Bible and our time with each other with this attitude. Help us to not lose out on the opportunity to be conformed to your image, and therefore experience true, lasting joy, as we meditated on the Scriptures and meet together.

Jesus was a Democrat...

Everclear's song Jesus was a Democrat has been the topic of a couple of conversations I've had in the last two days. The best comment made about the song was from my mentor and friend Bobby Pruitt. He said the biggest problem he had with the song was the line "if Jesus was alive today..."

Considering all the strong reactions to the song either in agreement or otherwise, this statement seems to be the most profound.

blogging

This all seems so cliche'... blogging.

This blog will primarily just be a place for me to put my random but meaningful (so I hope) thoughts. I'd like to keep track of these things and this seemed like a good place to put them. Perhaps these ramblings of mine will help others and draw attention to the King.