Word of Beard

'Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In all circumstances. Joy? Really? And this joy comes through a continuous stream of prayer each and every day?

And this continuous communication with the Lord, thanking Him in every situation that apparently produces joy is Gods will for the Christian? His purpose, plan, desire for every disciple....

So it's not only an option to enjoy life as a believer but it's imperative that I do. It's imperative that I see and comment on everything in life thankfully and subsequently joyfully and eventually vice versa.

I like His will much better than mine via the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect income, the perfect family, the perfect body, the perfect set of talents, the perfect education...I actually want to be joy-filled with the perfect Love.

Word of Beard

'The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first.' Job 42:12

Light recap on Job's story: Dude was wealthy and wise - Crap hit the fan big time - He sought Gods response.

After reconciliation we find Job holistically better off than before. Faith and suffering go hand in hand (Philippians 1:29) and it appears, at least in Job's story, that God's desire was to save the best years of Job's life for the latter half.

With a little grace let me stretch that idea a bit - Is this your attitude? Whether you've been blessed up to this point in your life or you've been suffering. Whether you've passionately served the Lord or regretfully run. Whatever you're story, are you willing/planning on allowing God to glorify Himself through you in the latter part of your life and in turn be infinitely blessed?

My wife and I have decided to seek out joy in the Lord and in life. That is our 'latter half' New Year resolution. To experience joy.

Blessing happens in many forms and even aids in the healing process. Whatever His eternal storehouse pours out on you, are you willing to step up to partake in it.

'Back in '82, I used to be able to throw a pigskin a quarter mile.' Uncle Rico wasn't able to move on and experience authentic joy for most of the latter half of his life - he lived obnoxiously in his past 'glory days'. Know that the Lords 'glory days' never end and you and I are eternally a part of them. Now is a great time to make the latter half of life significantly more worthwhile.

Read the story of Job. It's heart wrenching and a fantastic display of how God interacts with those who truly know Him. Watch Napoleon Dynamite for more on Uncle Rico.

You the Static-Bearer...

Static electricity.

My three year old son recently discovered this magical world of physics. Of course he discovered it at my expense...

Nations. Tribes. Communities. Groups. Peoples. All of these experience seasons of stasis. In my own experience many times these seasons are brought about by apathy, vision-leak, lack of clear-purpose or simple disagreement with others in my tribe.

Yet, there are seasons of stasis for a group that are positive. Intentionally pausing to reconcile. To seek the Lord. To gain clarity. To rest. To be still and know that...He is God, right.

Static electricity is fantastic isn't it. To have the Ernest-Goes-to-Jail'esque ability to electrify another human with god-like power is a ridiculous thing. Think about it. A human body, a non-conductor, carrying something infinitely more powerful, dangerous and unstable than itself and then passing it on to another human...always with joy too.

And when the atmosphere is just right, and you scoot across the carpet like my three year old son with that sheepish smile, right up to your sleeping dad on the couch...the pop! from that single touch on the cheek is eye-opening! It's heart grabbing. It's a catalyst for a greater uncontrollable movement on the receiving end - more scooting, frizzy-haired, joyful people joining the current-movement.

Tribes. Groups. Peoples. The Church. When these are in stasis, whether positive or negative, it only but necessarily takes that one little shock to create a greater movement. The passing on, not of electricity, but of the Holy Spirit from one hand to another. From one fleshly creature to another. One sinner to another.

This powerful, dangerous, uncontrollable, joy-filled Spirit is supernaturally implanted in and around us to ignite and then guide the Body-apathetic. It takes one little pop! Vision ignites. Purpose abounds. Word is life once again. Ironically static brings the dynamic.

Don't be scared of the shock. I have been. Discern the state of the Body, yes. But don't fear the initial pain nor the  cataclysmic activity that may follow. The Spirit guides us remember. We cannot guide, control or worse condemn Him.

Are you the static-bearer? Or are you the necessary recipient? Jesus said,

'I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things that these...the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.' John 14

All/But

Let's say for moment that your foundational spiritual gifting is that of a teacher. You not only teach Scripture well but you absolutely love to do it. You get energized by it. You welcome opportunity. You rest in the grace of God to work in you before a gathering.

Yet for a season you're challenged by the needs of your local body, your church, to step into the lead role and steer the ship. Now you're making large-scale decisions for everyone involved. You're shepherding your fellow leaders and managing the chaos of community. You have less time to prep for teaching. You're ability to soak in the word is diminished, quiet time has been replaced with meetings and resting in grace has become a searching for it.

In several places, Paul and Peter both describe the various roles, offices, gifts of the Spirit that EVERY believer is intrinsically given upon entering into the Kingdom in the here and now. Though many of us never discover these gifts they are there, at least one and probably more.

I teach - among other things. I believe that teaching is foundational to my role in the body, my response to the Lord and my interaction with Truth.

I am not naturally a pastoral figure. Nor am I a kingly type leader. Evangelism...well my beard tends to scare people off before John 3:16 even enters the room.

I don't have All of the gifts ascribed to the body. But depending on the need and the season I am capable of stepping in and being filled with all the riches of the Spirit in order to equip the saints.

Following Christ is an All/But journey. We are all living sacrifices but we spend a lifetime shedding the old habits of the world.

All of us have at least one spiritual gift we can be confident in. But many times we need to step into other roles for a season simply to love God and love our neighbor. For many of us the experiences we share in all the different roles afford us the knowledge to discern what our strengths truly are.

There are many tools, tests, surveys, books, classes, programs you can partake in to discover your spiritual gifts. Yet if you're active in a local church I would challenge you to first study the Word and secondly to seek the wisdom of those who know you best who might be able to inform you or at least point you in the direction of you giftings. Either way, true confirmation is in the fruit of the Spirit.

If you've found your strengths you've probably found a lot of peace in your role in the body. If you haven't there's a good chance you're regularly burned out, frustrated and under-joyed...I challenge you to evaluate once again who you are in Christ.

All/But.

Read Ephesians 4:11-13 for one of several lists of gifts. Reasearch the 'one-anothers' in the Text as well for practical ways to be fruitful as you discover who you are in the Kingdom.

Word of Beard

'"Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the Lord.' Haggai 1:8

Welcome to the first Word of Beard of 2012. Stinkin' Awesome! What better way to kick off new year celebrations with an OT prophetic reminder.

Through the prophet Haggai the Lord is calling the people of Israel to re-focus on re-building His dwelling, the Temple. The temple wasn't simply a static home for YHWH as it was for other pagan gods. YHWH moved where He chose, revealed Himself when and where He wanted and spoke to whom He desired however He desired it - dynamic. The Temple, though vital to His dispensation of Word among the people was yet a structure for a season.

Jump to the Church in 2012. Leave the 'timber' behind and don't worry about traveling to any particular mountain. Instead realize that we, the Church, are the Temple of the Lord. He both statically and dynamically lives amongst us. His dwelling is heaven and yet through the Holy Spirit His home is also within and among you and I, those who genuinely follow Jesus as Lord.

What is it He takes pleasure in? His Holy House.

What honors Him most? His glory in His Temple...His people.

Build His house and He promises to both dwell and move simultaneously.

Guts Falter...

'How long has your gut been around?' I once heard a pastor ask this question in regard to decision making. Particularly those decisions that butt against Truth.

Those heart-felt, gut-confirmed decisions that seem oh so right in the heat of the moment with current information, understanding, knowledge...and yet in acting upon them we in some way, shape or form deny Christ's Truth.

Our guts lead in many areas. From believing we're called to one particular college (seemingly innocent) to claiming that the moral nature of God found in Scripture is outdated. We may become emotionally connected to someone who lives contrary to His Divine Nature (innocent). Yet in our emotion, our empathy, our limited understanding of True Love we follow our gut in place of Truth - we trade Truth for gut. Holy Spirit guidance for gut instinct.

How long has your gut been around? 30 years. My gut has been around a little over 30 years.

...Yet the wisdom of God has guided men and women from the first breath in the Garden, wanderings in the deserts, wars and factions and reunification's, tribes and languages and cultures diverse, centuries and millenia, writings in stone on through digital fingerprints...

My gut may have another 30 years. His Truth has already outlived my gut. The Truth of God never ends or changes or falters. My gut has faltered numerous times. My gut has changed (spiritually and physically). My gut will end. And so will yours.

Our gut, our heart, our seat of emotion and response. It's wickedly selfish one day and compassionate the next. It's overflow may build up or tear down. It allows peace within our inner being and it twists us up with immense anxiety.

Are you following the moral standard formed by your gut? How long has your gut been around.

Or is your gut bowing down to unchanging Truth, the standard of God? It's His 'divine power [that] has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him' (2 Peter 1:3-11). Though imperfectly I truly desire to lay my gut before His throne. It's His divine power that gives life's purpose, direction, knowledge and godliness...not my gut which moves depending on meals, news articles, inspiring songs, confrontational documentaries, abuses in the church, favorite speakers or emotional responses to friends.

In other words, 'Does your Gut Win or does Christ Win out in your decisions and discernment?' What's your gut telling you right this moment? Maybe you need to do the opposite in response.

Word of Beard

'Now this is what the Lord Almighty says, "Give careful thought to your ways..."' Haggai 1:5

The Prophet Isaiah saw Assyrian threat and the fall of the Northern Kingdom. Habbakkuk watched Babylons rise and the coming exile. Jonah spoke against a pagan nation beyond the Lords chosen.

Haggai 'faced in some ways a more trying situation; a time of inertia and apathy when spiritual life had burned low [among Gods people]...' amidst comfort and security in their homeland and a temporarily mild political climate. While politics may raise our blood pressure in our own time I wonder if Gods message through Haggai isn't relevant today.

Are we also less inclined to listen to the Word, discern it's Truth, and act it today. Haggai was called by El-Shaddai - The Lord Almighty - in the midst of this very same corporate attitude - Who among us is called to be the voice of a modern Haggai?

Have you given careful thought to your ways? Inertia and apathy are prowling around like roaring lions...give careful thought.

I believe there's a new generation rising to answer Haggai's challenge.

Read Haggai and Robert Fyalls Bible Speaks Today Commentary