The Decision Is In

We received a call this morning from the case worker and...the judge approved our application for temporary custody!!! She said that we have custody through the end of the year but that the process will most likely be finished by then!

We thank all of you for praying with this but mostly we thank YOU LORD for answering our prayers in this way. Thank you Father!!

(Added at 11:57am) Vicki was actually at the mall with Paulina and a friend, Becky, who is visiting from the US. So, she told her and I got to tell Piotrek and Maciek. We also thanked God together...and it was incredible to hear my son talk about how thankful he was to Him for answering all of his prayers. He has been singing praise songs (in English) that he learned at summer camp for the last 5 minutes. Oh, I'm just in awe.

This is a big week - UPDATE

You can't imagine how many people have said, "you're trying to adopt, how many? Three??" We just smile and nod and wait for the next line. It comes in two different flavors: (1) "Are you crazy? -or- (2) "I don't know how you're doing it." Well, we certainly have our times when we answer statement #1 in the affirmative and repeat question #2 to ourselves while in a stressed-out stupor! But even in all of the craziness, as we watch each of our kids growing and discovering what Life can really be like, we know that we wouldn't change a single thing!

This week is big in our process. We, along with so many of our friends and family, have been praying that God would intervene and allow the kids to remain with us even if the adoption is not yet completed. We want them to be able to stay at home...go to school here...really begin this school year with their family.

There are two things that could happen, showing that God has answered our prayers as we have asked:

(1) The kids' case worker will be speaking with the judge (finally back from almost 2 months of vacation this week) about our petition for temporary custody. Yesterday she told us that she is in favor of it! We can't see why the judge would do something to fight that. If the petition is granted, then we think that will mean that the kids will never have to go back to the children's home.

Update (August 25 7:13pm): We spoke with the case worker today. She said that she was able to speak with the judge who is handling our petition. She asked him if he would please be able to come to some decision within a week or so because the kids would need to get registered to go to school in Poznan. He promised that he would have his decision ready next week. She added that while there is no guarantee, it "looks very good". She just asked that we not share anything with the kids in case something went awry.

So, we will continue praying this weekend that the judge be convinced of what the kids' legal guardian (their case worker) is telling him, that they would be best off here with us. Thank you Lord for this encouragement...we ask that your hand continue to guide this situation!

(2) If for some reason our petition is not granted and the kids have to go back, we are trying to get them out of a dance class that the asst. director (of the children's home) signed them up for. They don't want to go to this class...both because they don't enjoy it and because it cuts into our weekends with them as it's on Friday nights. Again, the case worker agreed that if the kids don't want to do it then she supports that. But, she told us that we need to talk to the dance class director about everything and get her permission to opt out. Vicki will be with the two older kids today to go out there and talk to that lady.

Update (11:28am): Vicki took the kids out there this morning for a practice at 11am. At about 11:10am she called me and said she was on the way back home. She talked with the director of the dance class who said that she had heard about everything with us and the kids and saw no reason why the kids would continue to be involved in the class. She even apologized for not being able to get in touch with us earlier so that we wouldn't have had to drive out there. Thank you, Lord, for this significant victory!

We are hopeful. Of course we always try to remain hopeful because we can be and should be as Christ followers! Even when things seem to be completely screwed up...when there seems to be nothing positive, we have found that hope remains. But it just takes more energy to see it...a little more searching.

So, pray with us. Thank God with us for the blessings of these three kids and the steps that have been made toward their being able to remain with us, at home. Pray with us for these two aspects of this marathon journey!

Updates to come!

Gotta keep pumping those legs!

Over a month ago I was meeting with one of my friends here at the house and we began talking about how difficult it seems sometimes to actually know how to take (feel free to insert other words like use, apply, accept, recognize, etc) the help we request from God. I've continued thinking about that off and on this whole time and think I've at least worked out a few issues I was having before. Let me share as you might be interested.

Basically the challenge stems from this: when we have hard times (you did know that missionaries don't lead these fun-filled, problem-free, Mary Poppins-style lives, right?!) we are told by Jesus himself that we can always turn to him for help, comfort, rest. The turning to him part doesn't always seem to be too tough. I know that when the pressures of the world come a-knockin' I feel like the safest place to be is standing in front of God asking for help through whatever challenge I am facing. "But what comes next?" you ask.

I was laying in bed the other night trying to overcome that night's challenge...falling asleep...and found myself considering this issue again. For some of you maybe this is spiritual milk. But honestly, for me, this has been a problem. It presents itself as I described in the spiral staircase post...when things happen, you spiral downward, and then find yourself struggling to walk back upstairs (to get yourself back together in terms of attitude, actions, etc). It's hard during any struggle to actually figure out how God is helping and then how to put that help into use. Does that make sense? I sure hope so because I'm not sure I can do a much better job describing those thoughts.

Anyway, laying in bed I started thinking of different metaphors for this problem in life. I thought about the movie Friday Night Lights, specifically the last stand in the big state championship game. The QB was running the ball toward the end zone and hit a wall of flesh known as the opposing team's linebackers. After struggling to stay on his feet for a bit many of his teammates crashed in behind him and began pushing him, supporting him as he kept his legs moving toward his goal. [Ok, I know...he didn't make it. Leave that part off as it's not too helpful in this metaphor!]

This scene really helped me as I was thinking through this issue. You see, often when I hit the wall I call for support and then just fall down, expecting the support to do the job for me. In falling down, I give up and basically fail. And I think this is the big problem! Instead of just giving up, I believe God brings the support in...the push to support and encourage me onward toward me goal...expecting that all the while I'm going to keep my legs pumping, while I keep moving with all of my energy toward the goal!!

This is an encouragement for me. Maybe it's something you've had figured out for a long time. Maybe not. Bottom line is that life is hard for all of us. But I think we can have success in this "game" if we can learn to know when to call for backup, how to support each other better, and never stop pumping our legs!!

Yesterday's Little League turnout

Man, we had a blast yesterday morning. We have been working on a Little League project for several months now and we finally seemed to catch a glimpse yesterday morning of how this thing could actually look. I wanted to share some pictures with you all here and will probably post some others on our phanfare site later.

We have been playing off an on, mostly when both Jack (the other coach, as well as missionary with his family here in Poznan) and I are available. And typically we have around 5-7 kids playing. Of course you have to understand that he normally brings about 3 of his kids and we bring our two oldest to play. So, you can see how easily it can just become the Stockdale/Shattuck Little League team! It's fun...but sort of misses the mark for the goal(s) of our project.

Yesterday, though, things seemed to take a really cool turn. I spent much of Thursday evening on the phone calling different contacts from the summer camp that Vicki was a part of, as well as calling contacts we'd made from a Genesis church "BBQ" (stretch to call it that...but that gives you a better picture). Honestly, I was pretty amazed on the phone to hear so many parents saying they were interested and that either they would be there this week or, because of going out of town for their last summer getaway, they would try to make it next week.

We showed up a little early at the park to try to get things organized. And little by little the kids, along with at least one of their parents, began trickling in. All told there were 22 kids and 11 adults. We had a blast playing with both the kids AND the parents. A few of our friends from church that were there got some great opportunities to begin building relationships with the other parents. It just went incredibly well...so much like we have been envisioning from the beginning.

Just wanted to share!

Hitting the out-of-reach pinata

After spending the past week trying to internalize this concept of living as a revolutionary, I find myself returning again today to the meaning behind the discussions. I find myself evaluating my past week and finding how short I have fallen day after day in my pursuit of embodying the passions about which I was writing. And I find myself dwelling this morning on Jesus.

These two passages can't escape the grip of my mind:

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless , obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death -- and the worst kind of death at that -- a crucifixion. (Philippians 2:5-8 Msg ~ Emphasis Peterson's.)

- and -

Now that we know what we have -- Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God -- let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all -- all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. (Hebrews 4:14-16 Msg ~ Emphasis mine.)

I've spent a few hours this morning reading articles and wikipedia entries which speak to different views of Christ: monophysitism, dyophysitism, Eutychianism, Apollinarianism, adoptionism, and more. After reading a friend's blog entries the past few days about simplifying the church, I couldn't help but think of how complicated things get when we try to define and map out every aspect of God. But our minds crave that, don't they? It's so difficult to simply believe that it's true, just as it is told or written (especially for someone from Missouri -- the "Show-Me State").

At the same time I'm reminded of the word faith. That's what it's all about...believing in the Navigator even when you, personally, can't see the roadmap.

I guess I'm just marveling in the notion that Jesus set aside his deity (NASB says "emptied Himself" and the Greek word used kenoo can further be interpreted "to make void") and became a man. Beyond just becoming a man and living with all of the difficulties and temptations this entails, he lived constantly under the attack of Satan himself; something I believe most of us will never fully understand (thankfully). Further, if Jesus truly emptied himself or set aside his deity (don't hear me wrong...I'm not saying he wasn't God) then I am led to think about the way that he dealt with every single problem using only the strength and determination he had, as a man who was completely filled by the Spirit.

Do you see the implications? It's basically this (here we go again -- simply complicated): it really is possible to live the life that Jesus lived. It's possible because he lived as a human. But the obvious challenge is to come close to the kind of connection he kept with the Father. That constant interaction is what allowed the passage in Hebrews to ring true. This is what allowed our High Priest to live, fully human, without sin.

I feel there is some danger in me posting this as it would be all too easy to misinterpret what I'm saying and think that this guy believes we can all be mini-christs. Well, I'm not selling any recipes for miracles, transfigurations, or H2O strolls...however, I am trying to point out that indeed we can become more like the Master then I think I have considered possible in previous seasons of my life. Why else would his example consistently be given to us in the way shown in those passages above if it were impossible to shoot for from the very beginning? Put another way, I don't see God playing some kind of practical joke on us...laughing at us as we swing at the pinata that He's already pulled far out of our reach. The example has to be reachable if God has given it to us, right?

Jesus was fully human...we are fully human. The Father desired constant interaction (experts call this a "relationship") with Jesus just like He desires with us. Jesus was called to holiness and righteousness just as we are. Jesus acknowledged and lived out that calling being 100% selfless and obedient just as we...oops. There's the difference between Jesus and me. There's the key. When I learn to be 100% selfless and obedient, I am convinced that some incredible things can happen. I'm convinced that the higher I can push that percentage, the closer I will come to being like my Savior, Master, Teacher, Friend.

Seven Passions: Family Faith

Well, we have made it. A week later, we are sitting at the end of the beginning. After discussing today's final core passion we'll need to decide where to go from here -- or at least I'll have to decide where to go from here. My life really has to become an unrelenting (remember, intractable) pursuit of passion for Jesus. Without that kind of dedication and obsession (I like how Barna says that) to that goal...well, without that it just seems that I'm missing the entire point of my life, the point of me being created in the first place. I need to become obsessed!

We're finishing up our look at the seven core passions of the first Church and of modern-day Revolutionaries as read in George Barna's Revolution. Our final stop on this short but very meaningful journey is Family Faith.

Christian families taught the ways of God in their homes every day. Parents were expected to model a Spirit-led lifestyle for their children, and families were to make their home a sanctuary for God. In a very real sense, the home was the early Church -- supplemented by larger gatherings in the Temple and elsewhere, but never replaced by what took place in the homes of believers. (pp24-25)

It has become more and more obvious lately as we have made the jump from zero to three kids in the course of a blink that this passion is also quite challenging. I used to daydream before of what it would look like to have family Bible studies (something I didn't do growing up), family prayer times, deep conversations with my kids about the theological of the Incarnation or other such spiritual complexities. In the spirit of sweet Dorothy, "we aren't in dreamland anymore, bloggers!"It's a challenge, it takes work to keep our children's interest in much of what we're talking about [don't know if that's the case for any of you parents, but it is here]. We can get 10 seconds into a "deep conversation" about the importance of studying math only to get this kind of reply, "Did you see that fly over there dancing around on the window?" While it makes me laugh now it makes me, well, not laugh when it happens.

We have also found another thing to be true about our kids. They respond to our emotions. They know what we are passionate about and oddly enough, they become at very least interested in those things. Application? If we are growing in our passion for Christ it will be infectious...not only outside the walls of our homes but especially inside as well! When we take the time to pray, talk about God, read passages from His Word with our families, it will become evident that these are things of great importance to us, things we are passionate about, things we are obsessed with. And as a result, they will be infected with this obsession as well.

Instead of giving you any challenges I will just declare my own. I am being challenged to build slowly, not trying to open my own bet sefer for my kids here overnight. My motivation is that I want to be able to help them grow in Christ. I want to be a part of their discovery of who He is and of the reasons why they want to surrender their lives to following Him. I don't want them to have to rely on the church or the pastor to disciple them. And through all of this I want them to know that this is how they can raise their children in Christ. It definitely can turn into an incredible cycle of discipleship -- a model for our churches to follow!

What will today look like in our family? How will I "be Jesus" to my family and how will I usher them closer to Him? Obviously these are all choices to be made...not just possibilities. If I say yes to God's challenges then they will happen. Like so many aspects of our Christian journey, it all depends on me.

Seven Passions: Spiritual Friendships

Today we've come to core passion number six as seen in the first Church and described in George Barna's Revolution: Spiritual Friendships.

The Church was all about relationships. These friends of Jesus became friends with each other and reveled in their mutual admiration of Christ in their frequent get-togethers. The friendships they formed provided not only encouragement but also loving accountability for spiritual integrity. (p24)

I read a book by Brian McLaren called More Ready Than You Realize recently which was based almost entirely on our need for developing these spiritual friendships. His (and Barna's) basis is that we live in an age when cold-call evangelism has lost its effectives (I wonder if it ever had it -- that's for another entry). People just aren't responding to the Gospel, and obviously there will be some exceptions, when presented out of the context of relationship.

For a couple of centuries the church has been the epicenter of evangelism and ministry. Through its Sunday morning services, outreach programs, evangelism and missions projects, people are invited to the church to hear the Gospel preached. Church members are challenged to invite friends, family, coworkers to listen to the pastor sharing the bold message of Christ with them in hopes that this will (1) bring them back the next time and (2) ultimately lead them to a decision to give their lives to Christ.

This paradigm seems to be one of the biggest mistakes we're making in the church. It needs to come to an end. Believers need to realize that they have the responsibility for loving people, showing them the love of Christ, and leading the people around them toward a restored relationship with Christ. Where else can all of this happen except through relationships? If you're the one that actually loves "Frank" then shouldn't it be you that ministers to him and his family's needs...shouldn't it be you that has the tough conversations with him about the purpose of his life when everything around him seems to be falling apart...shouldn't it be you that shares they mystery and joy of grace and restoration with him as seen through the miracle of your own relationship with God?

Imagine a community of believers (we struggle to understand that word community, especially in a biblical context) in which relationships dominate the scene. Strong, spiritual relationships between believers resulting in accountability and ministry to each other. Deep, love-based spiritual friendships between believers and "searchers", resulting mutual growth and understanding, opportunities to share and show the magnitude of Christ's love to those people and their families, and opportunities to serve as guides to people as they draw closer to the feet of the Savior.

I'm passionate about this...can you tell? I don't have it all together but this passion I definitely share with early followers of Jesus. I hope that this passion will continue to grow in us all.

Seven Passions: Resource Investment

We've already come more than half-way discussing the first four of seven core passions found in the early Church. I hope and pray that we are being challenged and changed through the discussion and resulting action. After all, revolutions don't occur simply through talk!

Resource Investment

...The first Christians defined communal living through their sacrificial sharing of everything they had. Note that the Scriptures specifically tell us that they shared "everything" with those in need, and that they used the variety of resources at their disposal -- money, food, clothing, housing, relationships, influence, skills, time -- for the benefit of all believers. (p24)

Investment is really the key as we think about this passion. The early church community did not pool their resources just so they would be able to enjoy each others' goods. Rather they first acknowledged that everything they had was a gift from God -- not their own. And second, they were determined to invest those gifts in others to build them up, strengthen them through tough times so that they would be able to eventually turn around and do the same with others.

There is a definite cyclical thinking in Scripture that we are blessed to be a blessing. As we bless others with the love of Christ their lives are changed. As a result of that change and the transformation (through discipleship) that occurs in them they continue this cycle of blessing. They continue investing what they have in others just as someone had already invested in them.

Communal living is not the point, in my opinion, to these early church accounts. But rather that we would see their passion (their obsession!) for using whatever they had (money, food, clothing, time, listening skills, home, etc) "for the benefit of all believers". They were a true community, so deeply infected with the love of Jesus that they desired to ensure that no one when without. This is that active faith...that intentional, active love that we have been talking about!

How do we compare to this example? Are we investing in others or just in our own pursuits? If we are investing in others, is it something we're passionate about or just something we do on the side from time to time? Obviously we can start small with whatever we have. We just have to stop talking about it and do it!

Seven Passions: Servanthood

Servanthood

Love is more than a feeling; it is a tangible reality when it is shared with other people through acts of selfless service. The early Church fostered the notion that serving other people was the best means of demonstrating the example that Jesus had set for them. Servanthood also showed the transformation that their faith had wrought within them. Like Christ, they lived to serve rather than to be served. (pp. 23-24 - emphasis mine)

That last sentence really stands out to me. "They lived to serve rather than to be serve." They put others first. There were truly Christ-like.

It's not really enough to just say that we love people...much like it is just not enough to say that we "believe" in Jesus. Where's the weight behind those statements? Where's the beef?!

In the case of faith, action is that weight. In the case of love, service is the beef! When we love someone, we do what we can to put that person ahead of us. We do things to honor them. We do what we can to meet their needs.

Just like with our last passion intentionality is required with service as well. We can't just think that it will happen...that our love for others will be seen just because we exist in the world. Rather, we need to insist that because we exist in the world our love for others will be seen. We have to be intentional, looking for opportunities to serve the people around us...our family, friends, people in our communities...people we don't even know. Sometimes it will be obvious how we can do this (offering meals, giving encouragement, giving rides to someone without transportation, etc) while other times we need to be creative (pickup Steve Sjogren's 101 Ways to Reach Your Community for ideas).

Yes, this will stretch us all, for sure. But as we continue to live passionately outside of ourselves we will continue down the road of transformation...becoming, like the first Church, truly Christ-like.

Seven Passions: Intentional Spiritual Growth

The third core passion found in the first church and exhibited through us as we live as Revolutionaries is Intentional Spiritual Growth.

The Church in Jerusalem endeavored to learn more about the Christian faith and employ the principles of Jesus' teaching. Believers exhibited a remarkable attitude toward life and people and acknowledged the presence of the supernatural in their everyday adventures. They placed their faith at the center of their lives and derived their sense of meaning, purpose, and direction from their connection to God and His commands. (p23 - emphasis mine)

I think the key to at least my thinking about this is found in the part that I emphasized above. I grow spiritual in my relationship with God when my faith is at the center of my life. But a big question that seems to circle over our heads at times is what that really means. How can we think of that practically?

We really need to take the word faith in the complete biblical context. That means we can't just allow ourselves to believe that it means simply "belief". Reading through the book of James I am reminded that our faith involves the action that comes from our belief. I like the way James 2:26 is rendered in the Message:

The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.

With this in mind we can begin to see more clearly what it looks like to have faith at the center of our lives. Our foundational beliefs as well as our actions are rooted in Christ. Everything we do, and think for that matter, radiates from our faith. As the earth revolves around the sun, we revolve around The Son! And because of this we grow, we develop...we are transformed.

Finally, we can't for a moment presume that this transformation is going to occur accidentally. We can't place responsibility for it on the shoulders of ministers, missionaries, family, or friends. Of course all of these people can help but ultimately it's my responsibility. As we take that responsibility seriously and ensure daily that we are living a life of faith that is when we are truly blessed with this sense of meaning, purpose, and direction (aka the abundant life).

Seven Passions: Faith-Based Conversations

Today I'd like to take a little closer look at the second identified core passion as seen in the first Church by George Barna in Revolution, remembering that as we live our this Revolutionary life this will be one of our passions as well.

Faith-Based Conversations

Just as Jesus was intractable in His pursuit of us, we are called upon to share His love with those who have not yet understood it or embraced it...The evangelistic efforts of the first believers were carried out through preaching, low-key/high-impact conversations about truth and purpose, prayer, performing miracles to foster the opportunity to discuss the Source of their power, and the joy-filled perspective they had toward God and life that created interest in their lives. (p22)

I like Barna's use of the word intractable here. If you click on that link you'll find a myriad of synonyms which all lead us to the simple truth that Jesus had his mind made up and no one, or nothing, was going to change that! He was here to pursue us - period! What resolve!

As we are called to be no less intractable when it comes to our pursuit of others (remember that whole "Go and make disciples" charge?), we need to be on constant alert looking for opportunities to share with those around us. Do I mean "pressure evangelism" or attacking people with the Gospel? NO! That's not what Barna is talking about and that's not what we see in any Biblical example.

I'm talking about having a love for people at the core of our being that causes us to want to share our hope with them -- the hope that comes from our relationship, our followship, with Jesus. Doesn't that sound simple? I know it's not. It's not for me either. But we need to become passionate lovers of people...passionate pursuers...passionate sharers. Through the sharing of our passion people will be touched with the love of Jesus. Through meeting their needs, their hearts will be softened to Him. Their lives will be changed and we will have be given the opportunity to play a part in that process!

Are there faith-based conversations we could have with anyone we might encounter today?

Seven Passions: Intimate Worship

I'm trying recently to keep my mind more focused on Christ, using some of the concepts in George Barna's Revolution as "reference points" of sorts. As much for me as anyone else, I'm going to spend the next seven days briefly discussing each of the seven passions of Revolutionaries from this book. These are what Barna says are "...some of the attributes that made the first Church so attractive and effective," and that, "...you find that the Church was characterized by [these] seven core passions."

As we live the life of a Revolutionary we have to learn to practice Intimate Worship.

Every believer was expected to worship God every day, both in private and in the company of other believers. This did not require a "worship service"; it only necessitated a commitment to feel the awe of God's magnificence, to express gratitude for His love and authority, to acknowledge His control and power, to follow Him with dedication, and to enjoy the miracle of His relationship with us. (p. 22)

Vicki and I have been talking a lot about this one lately because of its function not only in our personal lives but in any small groups that we start. One of the big question marks ? that have been in our minds is what to do with worship in a small group setting...especially when several people are not yet Christ followers. But honestly what we had been considering is how to sing praise songs. While that is obviously one form of worship it does not define worship.

What does define worship is the statement Barna makes: "a commitment to feel the awe of God's magnificence, to express gratitude...to acknowledge...to follow...to enjoy [Him]". Another way to put it, "Be still and know who I am" (my paraphrase).

So how does this work? As individuals we need to begin to really open our eyes to the presence, the imprints of God around us. We can see Him working in our lives and touching people around us. We can see Him as we wonder at the complexity and beauty of nature. We see and hear Him as we spend time in prayer and reading Scripture. He is all around us. He lives in us. But we (I) fail to live a life or worship because we allow so many other things in our lives block our view of Him and drown out His voice, which generally comes in the form of an intimate whisper.

As a group we need to reconsider what it means to worship. Songs and group prayer are wonderful. But what else is there? Even those two forms lose their edge when that is all we practice...when that is all worship becomes for us. What if the next time we get together we just sit and talk about the mystery, the incredible and undefinable nature of the Living God? What if we talk about how we have seen Him at work in and around us? What if we marvel together?

And what if all of this leads to hearts that are bursting out of our chests because we have reveled in God's presence together, expressed our joy and gratitude for His love and authority together, acknowledged His power and control together, and dedicated ourselves together to following Him more closely and enjoying the miraculous relationship we have with Him because of Jesus. That is intimate worship!!

Join the Revolution!

Sitting at my desk yesterday morning I picked up this little book I'd been looking at for several weeks and thought I'd read a quick chapter or two just to see what George Barna had to say. That quick chapter or two turned into me getting into it and finishing it this afternoon.

I sort of sound like a broken record, huh? "You need to read this book!"...or "man, this was an incredible book!"...or "man that really impacted me!" What can I say? I'm a passionate guy. I like exclamations!! And besides that I think I've really been reading some authors lately who are speaking my language. The timing for these books has been perfect.

Revolution is no exception. It's worthy of another exclamation, although I'll spare you as you get the point. I want to give you a taste that comes in the last couple of pages. It's somewhat long...but hey, you're used to that here! I think the reason for my excitement is that I want to embody the spirit of what this book is about...and on some levels I think either I do or I am beginning to. That by no means is to say that I have something over anyone else...far from it. But more that I want to be obsessed, as Barna says, with becoming ever more and more like Jesus!

These are called that "Affirmations of a revolution" (pp128-130). Take some time and let this stuff sink in...

I am a Revolutionary in the service of God Almighty. My life is not my own; I exist as a free person but have voluntarily become a slave to God. My role on earth is to live as a Revolutionary, committed to love, holiness, and advancing God's Kingdom. My life is not about me and my natural desires; it is all about knowing, loving, and serving God with all my heart, mind, strength, and soul. Therefore, I acknowledge the following:

• I am a sinner; broken by my disobedience but restored by Jesus Christ in order to participate in good works that please God. I am not perfect; but Jesus Christ makes me righteous in God's eyes, and the Holy Spirit leads me toward greater holiness.
• God created me for His purposes. My desire as a Revolutionary is to fulfill those ends, and those ends alone. When I get out of bed each day, I do so for one purpose: to love, obey, and serve God and His people.
• Every breath I take is a declaration of war against Satan and a commitment to opposing him.
• God does not need me to fight His fight, but He invites me to allow Him to fight through me. It is my privilege to serve Him in that manner. I anticipate that will gladly endure various hardships as I serve God; for this is the price of participation in winning the spiritual war.
• I do not need to save the world; Jesus Christ has already done that. I cannot transform the world, but I can allow God to use me to transform some part of it.
• My commitment to the Revolution of faith is sealed by my complete surrender to God's ways and His will. I will gratefully do what He asks of me simply because He loves me enough to ask. I gain my security, success, and significance through my surrender to Him.
• I am not called to attend or join a church. I am call to be the Church.
• Worship is not an event I attend or a process I observe; it is the lifestyle I lead.
• I do not give away 10 percent of my resources. I surrender 100 percent.
• God has given me natural abilities and supernatural abilities, all intended to advance His Kingdom. I will deploy those abilities for that purpose.
• The proof of my status as a Revolutionary is the love I show to God and people.
• There is strength in relationships; I am bound at a heart and soul level to other Revolutionaries, and I will bless believers whenever I have the chance.
• To achieve victory in the spiritual war in which we are immersed, there is nothing I must accomplish; I must simply follow Christ with everything I have.
• There is no greater calling than to know and serve God.
• The world is desperately seeking meaning and purpose. I will respond to that need with the Good News and meaningful service.
• Absolute moral and spiritual truth exists, is knowable, and is intended for my life; it is accessible through the Bible.
• I want nothing more than to hear God say to me, "Well done, My good and faithful servant."

I want to start each day with all of these things in mind. Can you just stop and think about what things could look like if followers of Christ would live this revolutionarily??!! Imagine the impact both in our own personal lives. Seriously think about how the world could be changed! We have that much power in us...not because of who we are, decisions we make, revolutions we join...but because we serve the Living God!! Boy, I'm ready to preach and get some people fired up!!

Revolution. "Don't wait to sign up. Just live it!"

Disappointment isn't fun

We got a couple phone calls yesterday from people who were at an IMB candidate conference and who were considering coming to join our team to do sports ministry. Man, we felt like we connected with them. We were encouraged to think that finally our requests were going to get filled...we were going to have teammates!

Got an email a little bit ago saying that one "unit" decided to go elsewhere and the other "unit" didn't even return to express further interest. Strange. Somewhat shocking as it seemed we made a connection (especially with the first "unit" -- a great family with a lot of experience and passion). But evidently it wasn't to be.

I don't deal with this kind of stuff well. So, I thought I'd write about it and get it out there...that maybe that would help. It's just that I get this kind of "passion inertia" that gets excited when things start moving. And when those things come to a screeching halt (or worse, turn around) it's really hard because I've already built up this kind of momentum, passion inertia.

I've started reading Erwin McManus' Uprising: A revolution of the soul. In it he talks a great deal about contentment, wholeness, and things like this which come from a life that is dedicated to living for Christ. Contentment is a toughie though...at least for me. And that definitely hit home tonight with the email we got. It's just hard sometimes you know?

There are a lot of things going on these days that, if we allow them, can really be big-time stressors. But God is so good! As I pointed out in my last post, He's a safe-house for the battered!! I'm knocking right now and waiting for Him to calm my heart.

"Safe-house for the battered"

I was listening to some worship music this morning and felt led to read some Psalms while the music played. I returned to Psalm 9, one I read a little over a week ago. These few verses seemed to strike me somewhere deep in my soul (again):

GOD's a safe-house for the battered,
a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
you're never sorry you knocked. (vs 9-10 MSG)

Do you ever feel battered or bruised from life? Ever feel like you need somewhere to run...to get away from everything? I do. And when I run into God's presence, swiftly shutting and barring the door behind me, it's true...as Eugene Peterson writes...I relax. I soak Him in and begin to heal. And I'm never, ever sorry I "knocked".