Consider a Stick

Consider a stick.  A stick, by itself, is not very useful.  However, a stick on fire (a torch) is something else.  It becomes light when you can't see through the darkness.  It's heat is comfort when you're cold.  It can cook food to nourish you.  It can purify the water you drink.  It can also be used to set other sticks on fire.

I am a stick.  

God's Word is fire.

Unity

Unity, with God or with people, comes through shared struggle. You don't get close to someone by saying "I need to get close to you." It takes action; shared struggle. Hanging out is good, but no amount of hanging out brings the closeness that comes from working together.

When I say struggle, I don't mean that it has to be painful. I think we all know that when we have pain or hurt or difficulty in life it causes us to get closer to God. But, it's not just those negative things that I mean. I'm defining struggle like labor. I think of the people with whom I'm the closest and it's those with whom I've labored/struggled; those I've served alongside in ministry; worship teams, missions teams, leadership teams, sports teams.

1 John 2:6 says, "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." Jesus walked with the Father. Jesus labored and struggled for the Kingdom with His friends and disciples.

Dreaming

I just read my last post and it occurred to me that maybe the phrase "American Dream" doesn't mean a hope of great things and a great life that we have, but we'll awaken someday to realize it was indeed just a dream.

On the American Dream

I think that the hardest part about living in the "American Dream" and being a Christian is being willing to give it all up. I think of the apostle Paul and the life he must have lived before he met Christ. It would seem that he was living a sort of American Dream. He must have had wealth to go along with his power and he gave it all up to be a traveling missionary who was routinely beaten and jailed for the way he lived his life.

Now that God has so richly blessed my life, my prayer is that I (and my family) would be willing to give it all up at the drop of a hat to follow Jesus into any circumstance he would lead us.