You Can't Please Everyone, So...

Don’t waste your life trying to accommodate and placate everybody; you will not succeed. Walk closely with God, realize some folks will understand you, others won’t… and some of those will understand later. People clamor for what they want in this moment, the moment changes and they want something different. You are too strict, too lax… too indifferent, too passionate… not enough like them, too much like them… it never ends.

Simply follow Jesus. Here. Now. Together.

A year from now you won’t be the same as you are today. Neither will I. Growth does that.

Jesus nailed it when he said this:
 Matt. 11:16 - 19     “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

The 1 Minute Read Series: You Just Do Your Part

A lot of people I've known try to be General Manager of the Universe. They worry that God may not do what He's supposed to do. They fret about somehow, someway things just not going rightly because other people get lazy or mean, etc. Look, you aren't God and you can't control other people. God gave us the power to choose. We live with the consequences of those choices. What you CAN do is make sure you seek out what YOUR part is in following Jesus, and do that. Pray for others and realize God always does his part. So, do your part, pray for others and trust God fully. Then, resolve to be at peace, not give in to fear and - if nothing else - life is a vapor anyway. Why not live with faith in God and the courage to follow him every single day, whatever that means? Dump fear and worry, embrace faith and courage. Not later, right now! May you and I both always simply follow Jesus.

Today Was Awesome!

Today we had a beautiful, powerful, Spirit-led gathering of believers at our house. There was a vibrancy in our time together because the life of God was flowing. People sang, prayed and spoke out what the Spirit was showing them. We were all encouraged, challenged and parted ways with a deep, shared sense of being on the right track with God. This reality of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding the Body of Christ when we come together is central to my family's experience. It has been so for about 5 years now. Our Father wants this for all of us, and we want to share this journey with other people here in Oklahoma City or in other cities. The Livewick Media site has a Resources page with some great house/simple church sites and books listed if your are interested. Ever onward, Steve

The 1 Minute Read Series: Flip It

2Cor. 6:1    As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

1Cor. 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.


God’s grace is his power made available to us. How can that be in vain? When we don’t work with him, we hinder the flow of his power in our lives.

Think of someone sitting in a dark room. You ask why they don’t flip the switch and turn on the light. What if they insisted that it was arrogant to think they could do anything about their situation. You tell them that by flipping the switch, they can have light. They insist that it is the power company that is awesome and, well, powerful. True, very true. Yet they sit in the dark. Sound foolish? Silly? People do this all the time when they point to the majesty and power of God, yet sit in spiritual darkness all because they refuse to think, believe and do what God says. They refuse to flip the switch.

The point: Instead of debating the importance of the power company, the switch or the one who flips the switch, why not acknowledge that all play their role and without all of them, you sit in the dark. With all of them, you have light.

Kingdom reality: God’s power works through us as we “flip the switch”, or make the choice to align with his ways... to think, believe and do according to his Kingdom principles. Usually, he is waiting on us to hear, to see... to move... to simply follow Jesus.

Journey to Simplicity

While we all have our own specific journey, the markers on the path from Institutional Church to "simply follow Jesus" are remarkably similar.

1) After much thought, prayer and soul-searching, disconnecting from the IC (i.e. not attending church events anymore).

2) Uneasy freedom (like a cat easing out into the yard) becomes ecstatic freedom (2 year old escaping from the bathtub). No manmade constraints!

3) After the freedom in #2 turns to isolation we yearn to connect with others in His body... but only in a simple/organic/non-heirarchical way.

4) The quest for others who are like-minded begins. This can take a long time.

5) You find others, proceed with caution, acknowledge that we will never agree on every little issue and that how we interact is critical as we seek truth together.

To simply follow Jesus, right here, right now, together... that's the heart-cry for me, and for more and more folks I meet. How we relate to each other is of critical importance... more important than us getting all our theology right to begin with :-)

I would offer the following as a place to start. http://livewickmedia.com/simply-follow.html

Ever onward.

Expectations

Forget the farce of trying to be a blank slate. Not happening. We have expectations, and we always will.

So, when we interact, we should be up front about expectations.

Waiting for others to share theirs first results in a lot of staring and little talking. We should help ourselves - and others - by being willing to share our expectations and hear what others have to say about them.

Are they reasonable?
Are they fair?
Are they consistent with Scripture?

A friend recently shared the difference between a peacekeeper and a peacemaker. Peacekeepers want peace at any cost... so any disagreement or conflict is contrary to their purpose. This results in staying in the shallow end of relationships. A peacemaker will help people on different sides of a conflict understand each others’ point of view, and find biblical common ground to build on. The peacemaker also recognizes that there will never be resolution of everything, so there will always be some disagreement among folks who leave the shallow end and go out deeper in relationships. Together, we can go deeper in Christ, and with each other, without combat.

Attention more mature disciples of Jesus: this is a key area of responsibility and opportunity for you! As “parents” in the family of God, you must model the grace of God in action when differences emerge between people. We never sacrifice truth to appease egos, but we don’t light sincere questioners on fire either. We seek truth above all, while maintaining mutual respect for each other. Elders, create a safe environment for people to ask questions, to seek answers... to learn and grow as they follow Jesus.

The question is, what are your expectations of others? Of yourself? Are you willing to be the imperfect example as you simply follow Jesus with others today?

Kingdom Principles: Listening to the Spirit Together

The reality is that God wants ongoing communication with us, in our spirits. Yes, anything the Spirit speaks to/shows us will be in line with the Bible. But we must know that God wants to lead us and communicate to us right here and now in a variety of ways. 

Listening requires humility and a concern for others. 

Have you known people who talk over others? They stop listening and while the other person is still speaking they talk louder than them at the same time. This is disrespectful and sends the message "What you are saying does not matter."

I usually have an idea for date nights with my wife. But, unless I  want to surprise her I ask what she would like to do. 

When we come together should we talk over God? We can't surprise him with our plan for the gathering. So, should we not ask him what he wants to do? 

The bottom line is when we come together we bring the Lord with us. It seems good and right to yield our thoughts and plans to him on the front end of a gathering because of humility and respect. I dont mean that we need a hollow form or ritual "opening prayer" because, well, that's just what we do. I mean that sincerely acknowledging Him as our head is good, right and has a way of bringing us into alignment with his purposes. 

Also, sitting in silence and just listening to the Spirit is a discipline worth learning. He may share things with you that you are not to share with the group. He may give you a song, or a phrase to share with everyone. He may give you a vision, a prophecy or a tongue with interpretation, or a gift of healing may operate in you to benefit another. 

Simply put: true fellowship, true Kingdom living is boldly and clearly centered on Jesus. HE is our life, our reason for being... And for being together. 

Still The Biggest (and most important) Challenges

"In answer to your enquiry, I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be

religion without the Holy Ghost;
Christianity without Christ;
forgiveness without repentance;
salvation without regeneration;
politics without God;
and Heaven without Hell." 
- William Booth, Founder if The Salvation Army - 5 January 1901 
http://www1.salvationarmy.org/heritage.nsf/36c107e27b0ba7a98025692e0032abaa/bc7babeb0aff57fa80256cfd004aac30!OpenDocument

William Booth walked with God in the power of the Spirit. There was no "as long as" in HIS love and commitment to Jesus. His words are prophetic and we slog through that very pit of bubble gum religion in America today!

Let's pull together and follow Jesus without reservation ! He is Lord and worthy of our all right here, right now... Every day!  

The Measure

The Measure

The measure of how we live
Is not in what we get
But in what we give

Me,me,me
Mine, mine,mine
All around us
All the time

Never ending sucking sound
From hollow people
All around

Get, get, get
Take, take, take
All around us
All the time

Resist the frantic idolatry 
Yield to him who gave all
For hollow you, hollow me

Now, not hollow
But full and free
Free to love
Free to give
All around us
All the time

Consumerism

Consumerism produces self-centered, lethargic critics. New Testament Jesus-following produces Jesus-centered, active servants.

Jesus message boils down to "repent, believe, follow". Repent or turn from other gods, including self. Believe Jesus is the resurrected savior. Follow him because you have made him your master or Lord. Do these things and your life will change both inside and out.

More at http://www.livewickmedia.com/

2011: Take It or Leave It

I have to decide what to take into 2011 and what to leave behind. If I don’t decide, I’ll just drag everything into 2011. Bad plan. Growth requires change, and change happens by decision. No decision = no change = no growth. God wants growth; so do I. Therefore, decisions are necessary.

In 2011 I will:

Leave: vague feelings of not measuring up

Take: clear statements of what matters most and what to do about it

Leave: waiting for the perfect words before writing anything on this blog

Take: write plainly and simply about what matters on this blog

Leave: over-qualifying/over-explaining what I’m saying, or not saying, lest anyone misunderstand what I’m saying or not saying… and taking forever to say… things

Take: clear thoughts, in the moment, plainly spoken

Leave: seeing life as a classroom/laboratory for understanding how it all works (academic)

Take: seeing life as my journey I share with others, learning as we go (expedition)

In 2011, my hope and prayer is that the Body of Christ worldwide will:

Leave: being the “sin police” for the world around us

Take: living out our faith as our #1 priority to the world around us

Leave: pouring time, energy and money into petty self-promotion of a person/group/entity

Take: living out the life and message of Jesus to each other, and to the world around us, period

Leave: looking for a greater “market share” of those who already profess to follow Jesus

Take: simply following Jesus as the salt of the earth and the light of the world, intentionally being among “the world”

What will you take and what will you leave?

- Steve

Crippling Misunderstanding

I continue to find this crippling misunderstanding among disciples today. It is the notion that to say there are core teachings that make up the gospel, which are absolutely true for all people for all time AND someone knows what those teachings are, instantly makes them arrogant and puts a wall between them and other people.

Instead we have a massive number of people who claim to follow Jesus who cannot – or will not – state what the gospel is. They sound like Mr. Rogers on a field trip to a factory and not like Jesus-followers who have counted the cost and will follow Jesus trhough the gates of hell to rescue the lost regardless of consequences. Many American Christians these days speak as if they are recruiting folks – subtly – for a minimalist, one-world, feel-good club versus rescuing the lost from oppression by Satan and certain alienation from the God who made them.

Lastly, if we cannot – or will not – speak the core teachings that make up the gospel, then our words will not have the power of God behind them. If you remove the core teachings of Jesus and the rest of the New Testament, you are left with “let’s play nice together” as the main goal. Lots of people say that! That’s not unique to Jesus. It sounds like we have no idea what matters, who God is or why anyone really should follow Jesus. Is it any wonder that we don’t get the reactions that the believers in Acts received when they spoke and lived out their faith? As Wolfgang Simson says, often…“The church is not worth being persecuted” because it blends so much with the world around it (Houses That Change The World p. 159).

click here to see the gospel, then you can comment on it...

You Aren't The Boss of Me

You aren’t the boss of me. I don’t owe you anything. Neither am I the boss of you. And, you don’t owe me anything. However, we are both going to stand before God and he will judge your life and my life. We are both accountable to the God who made the universe, for what we do today and every day.

Lying politicians, rapists, murderers, cheaters, scoundrels of every type and even ‘good’ people will all have our time before our Maker. That will be a sober day, won’t it?

Battle, or...

Life is full of conflict, resistance, battles. If you only seek to avoid battles, you will waste away in your apathy, stroking yourself with comfort food and video of other people actually living… then cry a lot when you are about to die.

Enough! Grow a spine! YOU decide what matters most and then be willing to fight, to battle, to overcome obstacles for what matters most. YOU get honest with yourself and God about what matters most to you. If the answer is “Nothing” then ask God to show you what matters most! Ask God to help you cultivate a taste for battle!

You will live only once. Make it count.

Sustainability as a Jesus Follower

I had a great lunch with a friend yesterday. He’s a deep well spiritually speaking, with a good grasp of the gospel and the Body of Christ. He asked a profound question of me: “What have you found to be sustainable as a follower of Jesus?” I answered “That which is timeless and relational is sustainable. Fads, emphases, organizations come and go. Principles and the practices that build relationship last.” I talked about the “Could You Not Tarry One Hour” prayer teaching that people thought was THE key to permanent revival in the 80s… it wasn’t. I said there was no one key that ‘fixed’ everything for us. My friend said “It really comes down to Christ alone.” I replied “Yes. Also, in the last handful of years I’ve learned to see the importance of Jesus expressed through his Body, versus “me and Jesus alone” and then a congregation. I used to see life more that way, but Christ in our ongoing life-together, our conversation, etc. has become very real and valuable to me.”

What will be true and valuable 1 year, 10 years, 30 years from now for you and me as followers of Jesus? That which is:

• Timeless - truth, principles from Scripture... NOT doctrinal fads, over-emphasis on minor points, organizations, gadgets, etc.
• Relational - learning to think-believe-do what grows your relationship with God and with the people you love most

One last point, approaching this as a Lone Ranger doesn't work well. At best, you learn these things muuuuuch more slowly than necessary. Learning them as part of a close community of disciples of Jesus promotes faster, deeper growth.

Onward.

Mission Unlikely... Unless

As I write this, my understanding of the mission Jesus gave his followers is: make disciples. In other words, “Follow me, and help others follow me.” (Mt 28). This seems simple and straightforward enough. It is also profound. We will spend our lives learning more and more about what those words mean, not just as we talk about them, but as we also live them.

There are a few things that make fulfilling Jesus’ mission for us unlikely.

LONE RANGER DISCIPLES

Some people have decided to shun other disciples because of past hurt or even outright disgust with others. The problem with becoming an LRD is that you cut off the life in the Body of Christ you see in Ephesians chapter 4 and other verses. We need to value the expression of Christ through others in order to grow up strong, healthy and without undue delay.

RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHERS

Jesus said “Follow me” not “Study me”. There is too much talk, too much watching and not enough doing for many disciples.

I’ve been a religious philosopher before. It promotes pride by showing one person has more facts crammed in their head than another. On the other hand, sometimes a religious philosopher does not know much of anything on a particular subject, but they have learned how to drone on and on to perpetuate the illusion of intellect. Does this sound like Jesus and what he called us to, or does this sound more like the Pharisees?

Further, some people are just more book-ish or more avid readers than others. Other people prefer doing over reading. Is there really room in God’s family for only one type of person?

ALPHA MALES AND QUEEN BEES

Men and women who have not found their true worth in God’s view of them seek to establish their worth among people. If they can’t charm their way into influence, they try to intimidate or dominate others. They may manipulate and deceive others to gain influence behind the scenes. In any case, if people do not find their worth in God, they will seek for it from people. This puts their core understanding of themselves in the hands of other people.

Alpha males and queen bees seek influence and control over others for their own benefit. They may cloak their words in “Christianese” and their actions in Cheshire-cat smiles, but make no mistake – power is their goal.

CONCLUSION

To be clear, I have not given up on the Body of Christ. I am saying that unless we learn to live and work together as his Body, fulfilling our mission is unlikely. That said, we CAN live the truth of the gospel if we will CHOOSE to. We can be God’s family on his mission to make disciples of every people-group on earth! We can be the Body of Christ who truly carries on the life and service of Jesus to the people of the earth, right here, right now!

Imagine…