Jon Pyle
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Awesome cover of a song I can’t get enough of right now.
All I Am - Phil Wickham - Austin Chamberlin ft. Lauren Zielenski (by Austin Chamberlin)
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Sometimes, things with God are very simple. When it comes to controlling our lives, we either have a grip on Him or we have a grip on something else. To state it plainly, if you’re holding onto something other than God, you’re putting your trust in an idol. We can rely so heavily on these idols for comfort that we cannot imagine life without them.
After hearing Pastor Witte this Sunday, all I could imagine was the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Elsa, the villainous Nazi sees her idol slipping away.
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People-Pleasing and Control
There is a common misconception that all attempts to control are totally obvious and completely selfish. Or perhaps reserved for a certain personality type. If I were to describe someone as controlling, you would probably think of an abusive partner or an obsessive, compulsive boss. In reality, a controlling person looks a lot like the person staring back at us in the mirror; you and I. Not only is control a universal spiritual issue, nearly all of our methods are well-intentioned and downright stealth. So concealed are the realities of these coping mechanisms that we don’t even know we’re doing them ourselves.
In my observation, people-pleasing is among the most common secretive methods of control. Perhaps I say that because I know it extremely well. This is one my gods, an idol I have served. Trying to meet other people’s needs or bring them joy is certainly a worthy pursuit, but it can quickly and easily evolve into something much more damaging. People-pleasing becomes a god when we believe that we must make an individual or group of people happy for our life to be good. Sadly, no matter how focused we are or how great we become, we can never truly make anyone else’s life good. And this idol will ruin the good life God desires for us because what we think we can control (others’ happiness), comes to control us.
Ultimately, like all gods/idols, people-pleasing is about control. It creates a simple and impossible formula: If I do X, I will make Y happy and then life will be good. This equation will never work. Trust me, I know. The good news is that God has a much simpler equation for the good life. Stop trying to control your life, Trust Him and He will make reality a life that only God could provide. -
Moses in the 21st Century
Sometimes I think if God gave Moses the 10 commandments in our current church culture, he’d come down from Mt. Sinai selling his book “10”, starting pre-registration for the Burning Bush conference, and charging the Israelites a consulting fee for leading them through the golden calf incident.
There is something about God and commerce that doesn’t sit right with me. I know that using the skills, talents and abilities God has given someone to make a living is not just perfectly fine, but encouraged. He wants you to use your gifts and be compensated. But I think there is a different standard, a higher one, for those called to full-time ministry. Sometimes it feels like those in full-time ministry are selling access to God’s wisdom. Like we’re withholding life-changing insight and blessings for a fee that primarily benefits the author/speaker/consultant. I’m not sure what that means. It just doesn’t feel right.
I do understand everyone has to make a living. And I don’t want to discourage pastors, worship leaders and other folks called to full-time ministry from providing insight or valuable lessons. But mixing God and for-profit business feels far more dangerous than we regard it now.
Am I the only one that feels this way?
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For our church’s 20th anniversary we asked the children to draw a picture of what they thought it would look like in 2032, 20 years from now.
This wonderful note was on the back. A reminder of why we do what we do.
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When given one wish, this is what Solomon chose: a heart attuned to God. As a leader in the church, is that your first priority?
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Your age has little to do with your maturity. No matter how old, you can be an example to others. That means no excuses. Get better today.
(via jesique)
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We cannot wait for the current leadership to pass the baton to begin building this church. We must start now!
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“Some people picture Jesus as a mean-spiritied lawyer who is looking for loopholes to exclude you from being saved and being in Heaven. The truth about Jesus is: He was in paradise, in perfect union with His Father, and He saw you, and you weren’t okay, you weren’t with Him. And he said “I can’t accept that, I can’t be at peace with that. I am going to fix that. I am going to leave my perfect home and go to that place, and take on every awful thing it has to offer because there is no way I can accept an eternity without this person.” -
A great reminder from Pastor Brent as we launch City Church West.
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“ I began to rethink my methods of engaging with my friends. Instead of continuing to invite them to InterVarsity events, I began to look for opportunities to receive their hospitality, to join them in a meal, and to hear their stories. They welcomed me, even though I didn’t necessarily “fit in” in their sacred spaces, their group gatherings, or their homes. I knew that the grace and hospitality they showed me was a reflection of God, and I hoped I could be a reflection of Him back to my hosts.
We weaved in and out of conversations about faith, but mostly, we connected as students trying to figure things out in this stage of our lives. We learned from each other, despite our different belief systems or world views. What began as a search for free meals became a new method of ministry, of sharing faiths, beliefs, advice, and hospitality.
”—Hospitality and Spirituality Found in Free Food
This is epic and wonderful. This is exactly how I want to live my life.
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(via thisbattle-willbewon)
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Nesting Awesome post, from an amazingly wise friend.
