So what did you think of part 1? Are you dancing with comfort? Have you embraced it?

Have you noticed how often we struggle when we are faced with challenging times our first response is, "How could you do this to me?" or the ever popular, "Why is this happening to me?"
We kick and buck, we complain and lash out at God when we are not experiencing blessing...
but did you know that our promise was not comfort!

Jesus told us to expect something quite different:
Joh 16:33 MSG (33) I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world."
We are promised difficulties... hardships... challenges in this world. Jesus had to face them and so will we!
Mat 10:24 MSG (24) "A student doesn't get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn't make more money than his boss.

The secret to having peace is surrendering your life to God and His will (not your plans for comfort). In fact we must die to our lust for comfort:
Mat 10:34-39 MSG (34) "Don't think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut-- (35) make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law--cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. (36) Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. (37) If you prefer father or mother over me, you don't deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don't deserve me. (38) "If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me. (39) If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me.

Peace is found in accepting God's will... whatever that may be.
Peace is found in the revelation that God's will is the best place for me.
Peace is found in the daily surrender.
From this peace springs true joy.

I look forward to your comments : )

Here Is A Challenge For You!

Are you ready for a great challenge? Well then, here is a question for you...

"How committed are you to Christ's lordship in your life?"
Its easy to say we are... but isn't that commitment tested by the cost we are willing to pay to stick to that commitment?
Eg. Its easy for me to say that I'm committed to the leadership at my church... but the true test of commitment comes when i don't agree with them... and yet still submit to their decisions with a great attitude.

So there's that question again... "How committed are you to Christ's lordship in your life?"
Has your commitment been tested?

I look forward to your comments, especially your comments on what have been the biggest costs that you've had to pay.
I'll leave you with a great quote from a good friend of mine"

“Lordship fights its toughest battles in the pockets of believers”

Dr. C. D. Preston

God Speaks To Me In The Movies (Part 1 - The Prestige)

I have just finished watching The Prestige tonight for the second time. I definitely felt that it was my best movie of 06! It was simply... DELICIOUS!

In the film we see a character for only about 2-3 mins... his name is Chung Ling Soo. Chung Lung Soo is an illusionist... and commits his entire life to living out his 'act'. Below is a short description taken from Wikipedia:

Den Shewman of Creative Screenwriting says the film asks how far one would go to devote oneself to an art. The character of Chung Ling Soo, according to Shewman, is a metaphor for this theme.^[7] Film critic Alex Manugian refers to this theme as the "meaning of commitment."^[24] For example, Soo's pretense of being slow and feeble misdirects his audience from noticing the physical strength required to perform the goldfish bowl trick, but the cost of maintaining this illusion is the sacrifice of individuality: Soo's true appearance and freedom to act naturally are consciously suppressed in his ceaseless dedication to the art of magic.

Soo in the movie is depicted as a crippled old man... which is all an act which enables him to carry the bowl between his legs. The incredible thing though is that even when the show is done Soo continues on his act, walking around with a crippled demeanor. His entire life, every waking moment was committed to this cause... to pulling off this great illusion so that he could hear the applause of the crowd... so he could please them.

I was amazed at how far this man was willing to go to accomplish his purpose...
I suppose the entire movie is questioning 'how far we are willing to go'.

It kinda made me think... how far am I willing to go for my Cause?
What sacrifice, what amount of discipline am I willing to go to for my audience of one... Jesus Christ?
How far am I willing to go to please Him?
I am so challenged...

What parts of the movie spoke to you?
What comments do you have from this Blog?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Where Is Your Faith?

Kia Ora from Melbourne...
We've had 2 evening meetings and a full day of meetings. As always when you put yourself in this kind of enviroment... it is very challenging!

I wanted to say a very big thank-you to everyone who has been reading this Blog and espesially to you legends who are leaving comments.
May we sharpen one another!

I wanted to share on a passing comment that Danny Googs made about the 7 Stages of Faith that we as Christians move through:

1. Comfort
2. Connected
3. Cause
4. Committed
5. Crisis
6. Character
7. Continue

Basically the idea is that when we come to church we are comforted and then connected into the church family. We then begin to pick up the Cause of Christ which leads to us being commited to Christ's cause. Then crisis comes which when navigated well leads to us developing character. Once we establish character we form the grit to continue on in the faith.

Danny suggested that too many people in the church get stuck at the first 2 levels... and this is why the church is the way it is.

What are your your thoughts on these 7 levels of Faith and where do you see yourself fitting in on the levels of faith?

Here's another question... what does it mean to pick-up the cause of Christ?

As always I look forward to your comments!!!

The Power To Change

Today I was revisiting the challenges that I received at our easter camp... and to be honest... I had to review my notes to remember what I had felt challenged to implement in my life. That led me to think back to a month or so ago when I was at a day retreat with Bill Hybels. There were so many challenges personally and organizationally that I had received during that day... but to my shame, all I can remember is one or two of the challenges, and vaguely at that!

In our western society the lust of our day is information. We run from one fountain of information to another but we never actually mediate on that information. We never work it through. It never gets a chance to become revelation. It simply tickles us... and then we run on. We never commit to the challenge. We would rather have flings. Flings don't cost us, they don't make demands on us. We feel good. We pat ourselves on the back.
But we have been unfaithful to the challenge. We remain immature... dwarfs in our calling, our potential, our being.

What challenges do you need to go back and revisit?
How will you ensure that you work it through, applying the challenge to your life one week from now, one month from now, and even one year from now?
How will you live this out?

I want to end todays thought off with a quote from Eugene Peterson's book 'Run With The Horses':

"He weighed the options. He counted the cost. He tossed and turned in hesitation. The response when it came was not verbal but biographical. His life became his answer..."