Intimacy.

If you've ever stumbled upon my Facebook photo albums or my Twitter feed, you may notice that from time to time I like to post photos from my every day life. They range from something of a comical nature to some of the best sunsets I've ever seen.

A while ago I saw something really neat but as I tried to take a picture of it, the camera on my phone kept on glitching. I really wanted to capture the moment so I could share it with others. As I fidgeted with my phone I felt God say to me, "This one is just for you."

We've got phones and apps and blogs and such and we're all very well connected to the world around us. We live in an era where we thrive on sharing as much detail with others as possible. That's the premise of Facebook or Twitter really. But it occurred to me that as much as we like to share what's going on in our lives, even spiritually speaking, some things are supposed to be just between us and God.

I am not against social media. Hello, I'm currently writing a blog which you're now reading cause you clicked the link on my Facebook or Twitter. I am, however, against the loss of intimacy between me and my Creator. God speaks to me and stirs up things in my life and sometimes I share them but sometimes I don't. It's really a judgment call on your part but I really think that there are some things we should keep to ourselves. Our relationship with God shouldn't be a secret; we should want to shout it from the mountain tops pretty much. But the details of our relationship with God - the things He's convicting us on, the beauty He's revealing to us - I think we should keep these things private. We need to preserve the intimacy of our relationship with God by limiting the things we share with the world around us.

I share things I'm learning or experiencing as a means of encouraging others or giving people something to think about. I'll admit, sometimes I just want to make people laugh. But I don't share everything. When you share intimate things, they're no longer intimate.

Again, just something to think about!

Turning Up The Heat

I once spent an entire (chilly) weekend sitting by the fireplace - good coffee and good conversations with good company. But I was freezing.

The fire was roaring - logs piled high and fully ablaze. The couch I sat on was mere feet from the fireplace. But I was freezing.

At the end of the weekend, we were hosting a coffee house. In preparation for the night, someone walked by the fire and flipped a little switch - for the fan.

"Dang it!" I thought to myself. I had sat for three evenings wondering how in the world I could be so close to the fire and yet barely feel any of its heat. And all I had to do was flip a silly little switch.

Ever feel like that with God? Maybe you sit in worship services and you know God is there but you just don't feel close to Him. Or maybe you read your Bible, which you know is the living Word of God... but you feel like nothing is really standing out to you. Or maybe you're ministering to others but feel like you could be doing so much more for the Kingdom.

Makes me wonder if sometimes we just need to flip the switch. But what switch? I don't really know. But I think that whatever it is, it's different for everyone. My relationship with God is not the same as your relationship with God. The things that bring me closer to God are different that what may draw you in.

I wonder how many times we are standing, staring the fire of God right in the face, and we think to ourselves, "C'mon! Why don't I feel anything!" We have the desire to go deeper, to grow, to feel something more than what we feel right now. And all it takes is one switch. Maybe the switch is getting things out of our lives that come between us and God. Maybe the switch is spending more time in the Word. Maybe the switch is learning from people who are more spiritually mature. Maybe it's taking a step of faith and doing something you've never done before.

I don't know what turning on the switch looks like for you. But I hope I don't spend my whole life sitting right in front of God's presence but never really feeling it entirely. Today, may you tap into all that God has for you. May you feel the fire AND the heat.

Sitting In The Front Seat

Yesterday Joshua turned 12 years old. He is one of my four American siblings I had the joy of living with for two and half years in North Carolina. Even from hundreds of miles away those kids still bring me such joy. I called Joshua to wish him a happy birthday and when I asked what the best part of his day was he immediately said, "I got to sit in the front seat!" It made me so happy to hear him so excited. What he said stuck out in my mind and the more I thought about it afterwards, the more I felt God trying to speak to me about something.

Why can't kids sit in the front seat of a car until they turn twelve (or reach a specific weight/height requirement)? The simple answer - because it's just not safe. No body really questions it. But you've got kids that are 8-11 busting at the gut to hit 12 and finally sit up front. I can even remember being excited to move up in the car. But you had to wait.

Life always seems to require some aspect of waiting. See, whether exciting or nerve-wracking, our futures only arrive a day at a time. So we have to wait. And there's not really any way around it. I asked someone once why God doesn't give us certain answers when we ask for them. Their response was that maybe it's because God knows we're not ready for them just yet. It's like the front seat - we can't sit in until we're deemed "ready" and if we sit there before hand, it could have some pretty harmful consequences. And doesn't it make sense to trust the Maker? I mean, the people who invented the seats and tested the safety of it would probably hold the most reliable opinion.

I am waiting on a lot of different things. Some answers will come sooner and others not for a while. But that's okay. I trust God because He's the one who's made the very things I'm waiting for.

Joshua had a count down to his birthday because he knew that when that day would come, he could finally experience the thing he had been waiting for. There was an anticipation and excitement. Be excited about your future! The Bible tells us that the things God has in store for us are GOOD! Hello! But while you're waiting, have hope. Look forward to the days when you'll get your answers.

You know one of the best parts about being able to sit in the front seat? It changes your perspective of things completely...

Worst Decision Ever

I remember it all so clearly. It was a Friday during my first year of Master's Commission. I was in my second semester of interning with a church in North Carolina. It had been a challenging first semester but I was looking forward to some exciting new changes taking place. On that Friday, however, I was feeling far from wonderful. I had just recently encountered some interesting circumstances and had been feeling slightly stressed as a result. Being the super spiritual over-zealous first year that I was, I decided to fast. To catch everyone up to speed, fasting is a spiritually based concept that centers on giving something up and replacing it with something else for a period of time. For example, fasting television because you spend more time watching tv than you spend reading God's Word. I figured that I could spend some time in prayer regarding my current circumstances. I decided to fast all meals from Friday night until Monday morning.

Friday evening was fine. I began to feel a little hungry on Saturday but continued on with my commitment. And then came Sunday.

But you see, this wasn't just any Sunday. No, no folks. This was Super Bowl Sunday. I had completely forgotten. Not only that, our youth ministry was hosting a huge party that night to watch the Super Bowl, complete with pizza, wings, chips, soda and the like. And I was fasting. I just about croaked when I realized that I had picked the absolute worst time in the history of American living to begin a fast... worst decision ever! In the grand scheme of things though it really wasn't that big of a deal. I stuck with it and ended my fast on Monday morning.

This story makes me laugh because the timing of it all could not have been worse. I'm not some fatty obsessed with honey garlic wings and Vanilla Coke... okay, maybe the coke part... but let's be serious - it's the Super Bowl. It's good eatin'! It's a "fun, food and fellowship" kind of thing. (Btw, if you're reading this feeling completely lost because you've never participated in Super Bowl activities, release your inner football poser, learn a stat or two and find a way to celebrate with friends. It's just a good time!)

That weekend reminds me of how our plans don't hold any ground on God's timing. I had made a commitment to God for that weekend and I couldn't just quit all because I really wanted a slice of pizza. Sure, it was a bummer it all went down on the same weekend... but it really wasn't the end of the world. 

Maybe you've made a commitment to God recently. Maybe it was a New Years resolution of sorts. Maybe you committed to doing or not doing something for a month or two. Maybe you've made a commitment for the entire year of 2012. Whatever it is, I encourage you to stick with it because it will be rewarding. Sure, there will be “Super Bowls” and times when it's hard to stick with the commitment you've made. But whatever you've committed to God, I can bet honoring that commitment will be so much better than any “slice of pizza” or “sip of pop” could ever be.

Stick with it. Today is day 036. And you can make it.