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Tell um Brit sent you… not really it doesn’t matter just go check out these great deals!

Restless Nights!

Restless nights don’t come to me all that often but when they do it drives me crazy. They are nights where my brain will not shut off. Rarely am I everything thinking of anything of real substance, but I can’t figure out why I can’t shut it off.

The past few nights have been Restless nights for me. Last night I finally began to listen. Those moments are normally indicators from your body or soul trying to get your attention. I finally was able to quiet myself enough to hear God saying, “HEY!!!! I want to talk to you.” Have you ever been on such an autopilot mode that you even those little God interruptions seem like turbulence that is meant to be overcome?

We can become so streamlined that we need those restless moments to make things uneasy, to cause us enough discomfort that we take the journey off of autopilot and reengage with our selves and Jesus.

Last night I was reminded just how much Jesus wants to speak to me, how much he wants to be involved in my day in day out happenings. The moment I become to tired and worn out, the moment I hit autopilot and just start coasting is the moment I leave him out of the picture.

If you experience restless nights, or restless days, take heed to ask your soul, “Is something wrong?” I have found that in these moments my soul is trying to tell me something, and I need to clear the calendar to listen to it, to take time and be with God a little more intentionally today that normal.

My ‘suffering’…Lent

Well it is time for Lent. That time of year where many protestant Christians partake in a time of sadness and ‘suffering’ sorts to enter into a reminder of what Jesus came, lived and did for us on the cross. The period of Lent goes from Ash Wednesday till the Saturday before Easter (46 days). It is a time where to reflect on Christ’s suffering leading into His triumph.

It is also a time where ‘faithful’ Christians take up their own practices of ‘suffering’ to draw them closer to Christ.  A time remember our frailty and deep deep need for Gods love and grace in and over our lives. It is something that has been practiced for centuries. There are some incredible resources out there called spiritual disciplines that can really help draw closer to God and Christ like action in our lives.

What I have noticed over the past few years though is this sad truth of weak suffering. I have watched students and adults give up facebook, chocolate, twitter, soda and video games for 46 days. Now when I hear people camp this as a suffering my heart breaks. Many of us have reduced this time to a superficial time of ‘fasting’ from things that aren’t all that good to begin with. I watch as some folks give up these things but don’t add, prayer, reading their bible, acts of Christ-like service, practice of piety.

This is a time designed for us not simply give up our guilty pleasures but a time to delight in Gods pleasure and grandeur for us and over us. So beyond the suffering you may have added to your daily routine, what have you added, what are you practicing that will help you draw nearing to God this season?

Here are some things I have added to my Lenten practice…

• Getting up every morning at 6am to spend an hour in prayer and reading.
• Journaling my thoughts and prayers during this time
• Practicing a different Spiritual Discipline each week
• Attending to self-care ( taking care of my body better with what I eat and exercising 3-4 times each week)

Again, these are more practices for me. I’m not giving up anything really. I have seldom found very much pleasure and Joy through Christ in those moments (some have and praise God for that).  This time of year is a perfect time to join 100′s of thousands if not millions around the world that will be participating in this season of Lent.

Don’t just give something up that brings you pleasure, draw near to your heavenly Father so he may delight in his child. The ultimate pleasure…

Stay tuned for ways of diving deep into your ‘suffering’ this lenten season.

Friday Five: Why I Write

I should title this why I would like to write… Lately I have just had a really hard time carving out time to make this writing desire a reality, but as I sit here I am encouraged to express why I write.

• Need to get it out. I have so many thoughts racing through my head that it provides a great opportunity to get the thoughts out and to be reworked and possibly acted upon.
• It is a great discipline. I love the discipline of writing. It causes one to be more articulate with their words, to strive to communicate a message with words not spoken but read. Reading these words are often left to interpretation from the reader, thus the discipline to make sure you are skilled to get your point across.
• Provides structure in my life. This one is pretty simple. I am a pretty unstructured person in a lot of areas. This area of writing provides me with the example and structure I need for life. In learning to structure my sentences and articulate what is on my heart via writ I am learning how to structure that same in my life.
• God given ability to create. Bringing order to the chaos of thought on to a blank page (or webpage) is right up there with the creator Himself in creation. It stirs within me something to know that I am bringing something from nothing.
• Something is shut up inside that wants to come out! “There is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in & I cannot any longer” Jeremiah 20.9. I am not sure what that something is yet within me, but I know with every post I am unearthing more of what that is.

what about you? Why do you write or want to write?

Friday Five – Music That Changed My Life

This might be a pretty big statement but music has been life giving for me ever since I can remember. The beat of the drums and rumble of the bass has always moved my heart. It wasn’t till I became older that I began to listen more to the lyrics and try to understand the artistry behind some the music. I wanted to take this Friday Five to share my top five (or six or seven hugged together genre-ly) bands that have inspired me, transformed my life, birthed creativity and so much more. Here they are in no particular order

• Smiley Kids, PlankEYE & Reliant K When I was a freshman in High School & I had recently become a christian I was heavy into the punk scene jamming out to Greenday, Blink-182, Midtown, NewFound Glory and others. I knew that music and its message kept my mind in some dark places and I needed something to help break me out of it. What started it was my Youth Pastor taking me to Mardel’s (Christian media store) and buying me any cd I wanted. So I picked up Smiley Kids… It was heavy punk rock but with the message of Christ. That once CD led me down the path of finding some other great christian artists that filled that need for punk music.

• Third Day I have always been a fan of Third Day. I learned how to play bass from Tai Anderson (well playing along with him to Time and other great albums from Third Day). I love their message, their uniqueness and passion for great music. It also helped to get on the list that the band I was in for 3 years did a lot of Third Day cover songs.

• Jars of Clay With in the past 4 years my taste for Jars of Clay has just exploded. I always loved Flood when I was growing up. But they fell off my radar for several years. Not sure what it was that brought them back into view by they are on just about ever shuffle play I do and playlist I have. Incredible musician’s with incredible creativity with lyrics. They are possibly one of my favorite bands

• U2 Either you love them and everything they do, or you don’t. And I do. I listened to How to Dismantle a Bomb on cd for 9 months straight in my cd player my senior year. Nothing else hit my ears. They are by far one of the most creative bands that has stood the test of time. Excellent musicianship and lyrical brilliance that can bring you to your knees.

• Jason Upton This last place is pretty hard to fill. To finally come to conclusion on only 5 (or 7) makes me tense because I want to be true to the music that has impacted me. With that said Jason Upton should definitely have a spot on this list. He is by far one of the most charismatic, in-tune with God, passionate family man, incredible worship leader. His piano skills mixed with personal lyrics of brokenness are a true word from God to a hungry and empty soul. His music has filled my soul when I was in some dark and dry places.

 

Music is something that speaks to our souls. It meets us in ways and puts words to feelings that sometimes only a drop D tuning and piercing  lyrics can. I thank God for the beauty of music and what it does for our world. As my iTunes shuffles to Let There be Light by Andrew Peterson, let there be light, let there be love, let there be music …

I am curious for you, if you had to pick just five bands who would you pick?

Why Good Isn’t Enough

I have really been struggling with this idea lately of just living life well. or ‘good enough’. We say things are great, great in our marriages, great in churches, great in our health, great in our ministries… but are they really? Are things really great? and we know this for sure? HAHAHA sorry Rob Bell innuendo for my buddy Jeremy Tacket. But really, are things great or are things just good.

I love the book From Good to Great by Jim Collins. I read this book about two years ago for a class in spiritual formation. The underline tones for ministry are incredible. But even more so lately I have been asking that question less for ‘business or ministry’ and more for own life. Is my life good or great? I would say my life is really good. Actually I would say my life is REALLY REALLY good! I am super blessed, with an incredible wife, incredible job, incredible gifts and dreams as well. But there has been something in my soul crying for more. Something deeper, something more fulfilling, something lasting.

From being at a funeral of some great family friends, the question hit me of am I leaving a great legacy in my family and ministry? From hearing a great sermon last week talking about how Jesus invites us to trust and ‘go deep’ am I trusting Jesus is calling me to something great, not just good?

I asked these questions not because I feel I have fallen off course, but in realizing I could potentially be heading down the road of good and ok instead of great and excelling I have been asking the tough questions.

Good isn’t enough because it wasn’t good enough for Jesus for us. One of my favorite verses that shows this is John 10.10 “For I have come so that you may have life and life to its fullest” This word full is a powerful word. The word is pessiso meaning complete, overflowing, extravagant, exceeding something, something more, superadded, superiority, remarkable and supior advantage. WOW that is a pretty awesome and strong word for sure. As I know Jesus has come to give us this life, this real life, this greater life I want to pursue it with all I have. But its less of what I have and really what God has for me and my family.

I have to realize that as long as I feel good is good enough I will never touch greatness. Its not about prosperity but about living a life worthy of greatness living with a passion for something far more greater than myself. Jesus offer’s this kind of life. He promises this kind of life that transforms and impacts every area of our life. It wants to reach as far into the areas of our marriages, and health, and ministry, and churches, and sports, and friends, and wealth, and passions that it transforms us to the core. Transforms us to live lives more fruitful and full beyond our wildest dreams.

So the question is…How do you know when good isn’t enough?

What things start making you think there is something more?

Do you think good is all there, or do you feel there is more to it all?