Tag: say yes

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Don’t Rob the World of it…

The church we attend is fortunate to have a large amount of musical talent among its congregation.

Each week the church holds multiple services, so it’s asking a lot for the same people to be on the worship team week after week for all the services. Volunteers from the congregation stepped up, and as a result the worship team has a good amount of “bench strength.”

When the team is leading worship, there are usually a lot of people on stage. Normally there are two keyboardists, three or four guitarists, a drummer, and some singers. There’s a lot happening during a given song.

I’m not sure why, it’s probably the amount of movement, but my eye is always drawn to the drummer. Like any other role on the worship team, there are different types of people that play the drums. All of them can keep the beat just fine, but while some of them look calm and in complete control of the rhythm, others play with intensity and look like they’re out of breath and are right on the edge of losing musical control.

I always enjoy when one young man in particular takes his turn at the drums. Not only are his arms flailing around in perfect timing, smashing his instruments, but his head also bobs to help keep the beat. At the same time his facial expression conveys his sheer passion for the task.

The drums and cymbals our church uses are electronic; I’m guessing that someone made the decision to use electronic cymbals so that metal ones don’t overpower the rest of the worship team. They make less noise when the drumsticks physically strike them, and the sound system adds it in to the overall mix coming out of the speakers. When I’m sitting in the congregation and this guy is drumming, I can clearly hear the sound of his drumsticks slapping the cymbals no matter where I sit in the room.

This is someone that’s doing what he was created to do, and it’s a joy to behold.

We’re all created with gifts. I heard someone describe a gift as “the thing you do the best with the least amount of effort.” You might make a living from it, but not necessarily. For some people, standing up in front of a group and teaching is something that comes naturally, but for others that idea is terrifying. Some people are amazing hosts/hostesses. It’s possible to be an incredibly empathetic conversationalist and have an occupation where that skill isn’t used at all.

Your gift might be something you think is absurd, or even worthless. It doesn’t matter how you feel about it, but I’ll tell you that you’ll feel satisfaction in using your gifts to glorify God. If you make amazing fried chicken…fry it while giving God glory. If mowing grass in cool patterns comes naturally to you, mow it like there’s no tomorrow. If you write computer code or create algorithms effortlessly, write and create with passion! There’s no telling how your gift will combine with others that are using their gifts, and what that will result in.

What were you created to do? The more important question is: are you doing it? (What good is a drum that can’t be played, or a Lamborghini that sits in the garage?)

The drummer in our church isn’t changing lives or saving souls by playing the drums. I can only imagine though, that if it’s fun for me, an ordinary guy, to watch him play, our Heavenly Father is smiling even bigger to see one of his beloved children employ the talents entrusted to him to pursue his calling. Wouldn’t you like to bring the same kind of smile to God’s face?

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Just Give it to Me Straight, Doc

I’ve got three kids. I’ve had my share of seeing one or more of them knowing that they ought to tell me something, even though they don’t want to.

You can see the nervous fidgeting, their eyes looking anywhere but at you, and you know right away that the longer they take to tell you, the worse the irreversible damage might be somewhere. Did they flush something weird down the toilet and now it’s clogged and overflowing all over the floor? Did they pick up a fish from the fishbowl and accidentally drop it on the floor? Did they accidentally hurt their brother or sister, who now needs help in a hurry?

Your mind goes crazy thinking about all the things that could be wrong, and all you want to do is find out the truth so you can take immediate action if you need to. As the kiddo stands there, searching for the right way to break the news to Dad, it’s maddening to see them slow down even further, hinting at things to gauge how Dad reacts to different approaches. On the inside you’re screaming “just TELL me already!”, but you know that will stall the truth even more, so you have to cover any appearance of urgency and gently coax it out of them without looking mad.

Have you ever been in a situation like that? All you want is the truth. It might be at the doctor’s office after some test results come back. You see them start to hem and haw, uncertain about the best way to deliver the news. All the uncertainty you’ve been wrestling with has created more anxiety, and all you want to do is yell “just TELL me already!”

Have you ever felt that way on a grander scale? Not just for a blip during your past, but over a much longer span of time. You’ve had your ups and downs, but it feels like there ought to be more. Maybe you have a nice family, a nice house, you even have a great career, but it still feels like something’s missing, or that you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. What’s this life all about? You don’t even care how it’s going to make you feel; you just want someone to tell you the rest of the story.

Well if you want it, here it is.

You’re not good enough.

I’m not talking about not being good enough at your job, at being a nice person, or at not burning the crust in the oven. I’m talking big picture. When everyone, including you, was born, they were set on a course that does not lead to Heaven. And why? Because nobody’s perfect. Heaven only accepts perfection. Even if folks are good people that lead good, moral lives, after this life they are headed for eternal suffering and anguish. It’s not good news, but this is the sound of the other shoe dropping. If you don’t believe in the afterlife, I understand how it might sound kooky. Here’s the thing though…have you ever been on the other side of death?

There’s good news about all this: there is a sure way to change course. There is a way out of this default eventuality.

You’ve heard the name Jesus Christ. You may even have said it a few times, but who is He? He’s God’s Son…the power of God incarnate…all the power of God in human form. If He lived in Heaven, why would God show up as a person on Earth?

It’s kind of an odd answer: to withstand your punishment and serve your sentence on your behalf. Christ was perfect and fulfilled all of God’s laws flawlessly, but was wrongfully accused and executed. He spent a full day in Hell, taking my place, taking your place, taking the sweet grandma down the street’s place, taking the death row inmate’s place. Then He conquered it: He came back to life the third day after His death. By doing this He broke the power of Hell. Out of love, Jesus Christ now extends a hand to everyone, regardless of age, race, gender, orientation, national origin, regardless of everything. None of that matters, because each of those people falls short of perfection. By accepting His invitation, you switch sides…you’re no longer destined for eternal suffering and sorrow regarding this missed opportunity. People that take His hand are clothed in His perfection; they are destined instead for a joyous future in God’s presence alongside others that have made the same decision.

Some will tell you that many roads lead to Heaven. I’m sorry, but that’s simply not accurate. A relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to ensure an eternity in Heaven. He even said so in John 14:6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Now I just want to explain something. My writing is simply not compelling enough to convince people to make this decision. If you feel something tugging at your mind and heart, though, that’s God working on you. I’m just the method He’s using to reach you. Please don’t ignore the pull…Christ can whisper to you, but He won’t force you to switch sides. You don’t have anything to lose, but you have everything to gain.

Maybe you’ve never prayed before, but if you’re open to this, pray this prayer along with me:

Dear Jesus…thank you so much for loving me even when I don’t deserve you at all. Lord, come into my life, change me, break me, make me new, make me whole…forgive me. Purify my heart. Jesus I believe you died on the cross and rose again three days later. You are my savior and one day I will live with You forever. But meanwhile, help me to stand for you. To shine for you, to make a difference and let your truth be known. Use me Lord, Holy Spirit fill me to overflowing. I love you so much! In Jesus’ name, amen.

If you’re not quite ready for that, but you’re open to hearing more, I encourage you to listen to this man’s story. We’ve heard of instances where people die for a few moments on the operating table, only to be revived and tell stories of a brief vision of Heaven. But what if we got a brief view of Hell? It’s a remarkable story.

For those with a little less time (or for more encouragement after the first video), have a listen to this song. It conveys why Jesus would give up everything…because the Savior of the World would rather die than live without you.

Even if you’re skeptical about all this, please consider passing this on. If you’re already on board, please share it either by posting it in your social media or by forwarding this link: https://daregreatlynow.com/?p=650

Eternity hangs in the balance. Will you see someone in Heaven because you helped them get there?

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It Starts With an Idea

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve thought that the Olympics were fun to watch. The idea that you’re seeing someone who, at least for the moment, is the best in the world in their sport…the gold medals, the national anthems and flags being raised…it was so straightforward and patriotic. At the beginning of my Junior year of college, the Summer Olympics took place in Sydney, Australia. Because it was a southern hemisphere location, the games started later than normal, and I was able to watch it with friends at school rather than at home during the summer break.

You can only watch so many Olympic events in a row before it gets old, but I kept tabs on what was going on all throughout the games. For the big stuff, I’d be watching with other people in a lounge somewhere.

A buddy of mine, Jeremy, was also keeping up with the games that year. One time as we were watching we got to talking, and I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but one of us said to the other something like “You know, the next Winter Olympics are gonna be in Utah when we’re seniors.”

That’s pretty much all it took. We were in. Somehow, we were going to figure out how to go to Utah to see some of the 2002 Winter Olympics in person.

We were students at a college in western New York state. Utah wasn’t close, but at least it was in our country. We didn’t know how we’d get there, how we’d get back, where we’d sleep, or how close the venues were to each other. All we knew was that we had a big and bold idea, and we were willing to make some sacrifices in order to make it happen. We had about 17 months to figure it out.

One thing that’s neat about this life is that God has given us free will. We can choose to follow Him or not. Beyond that, He gives us the ability to choose how we would like to glorify Him. If you’re a Christian, you may notice that some causes tug at your heart strings a little more than others. It may be a heart for helping the homeless, orphans, alcoholics, those in prison, someone that doesn’t have clean water or someone you personally know that can’t afford enough food or medicine. Your combination of talents, interests, and spiritual gifts does not often match up with other people’s, and that’s by design. You are uniquely equipped and motivated to tackle challenges that are tailor-made for you. If you feel as though you’re compelled to plug into a certain area, most likely it’s because you are.

At some point in your Christian walk, you probably had an idea about some challenge you were supposed to take on. Maybe it was big and bold, maybe it was something a little easier to sink your teeth into. Like our Olympic idea, sometimes you just need to let the idea bake for awhile before moving out. Don’t let it die in the “still baking” phase, though.

Jeremy and I did go to the Olympics as spectators. I’ll give plenty more information in later posts, but I’ll tell you this much: it’s been almost 17 years since we took that trip…there are things I was willing to do in 2002 that I’m probably not willing to do now. That’s not necessarily good or bad, it’s just different. That helps illustrate another point: no matter how old you are, you’ve got an advantage when presented with a big and bold challenge. When you’re young, you probably have limited financial means, but your enthusiasm can carry you through many discomforts that you may not be willing to endure when you get older. A couple of decades later, you likely have a more solid financial footing and the benefit of some life experience, but there are many priorities competing for your time and you have to be dedicated to a prayer life and devotional life or they’re simply not going to happen. Further along, in the early years of your retirement you may or may not be as busy as during your working years, but you probably have the benefit of having less structure in the way you spend your time. Later in life you may not be able to get out and perform physical tasks as easily, but your prayer life and mentorship roles have the potential to be the best they’ve ever been.

The point I’m making is that when God plants an idea in your head that seems like it might be a little too big for you to handle, focus on the ways He’s equipped you to succeed. Instead of turning it down, let it stew for a little bit. It’s supposed to be intimidating. If He gave you an easy assignment, how would He get any glory out of it? On the other hand, if someone is woefully unprepared to take on a mammoth undertaking, and a million things have to line up in order for it to happen, it becomes obvious that the project’s eventual success didn’t come because of the person; God gets the glory in those cases. If it’s God handing you the next assignment, be willing to bite off more than you can chew.

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When Opportunity Knocks

When I turned 14 my first job was at a Christian Conference Center in eastern Pennsylvania. My parents had worked there my whole life, and I was very familiar with the place, having even lived on the grounds for the first few years of my life. Most of the work I did was odd jobs: mowing lawns, weed whacking, setting up chairs for meetings, and generally the kind of stuff that you can have a 14-year-old do to help a place look nice or get set up for upcoming events. I worked there on weekends and sometimes on weekdays after school, but the busiest time of year was in the late spring and summer.

After I had been working there for a year or so, the recreation manager, Allen, approached me in the spring. He was planning ahead for the upcoming busy summer season, and he was trying to put together enough people to form a class of lifeguard trainees. The idea didn’t really appeal to me, though. I liked playing in the pool as a kid, but the idea of swimming laps and doing all kinds of training, and then sitting in a chair yelling at people to stop running wasn’t something I was interested in. At least with my current job I got to be out of the sun part of the time.

Allen mentioned the idea to me a few more times after that, but I kept turning him down. His final pitch was the most memorable. It was a day of sweaty manual labor. A road around the pool was getting some light posts installed along the perimeter. That meant somebody had to dig a trench between each pair of light posts in order to run a power cable to all of them. I’ll give you two guesses who that “somebody” was, but you’re only going to need one.

I had been swinging a pickaxe and scooping out dirt all morning, and it was hot and humid under the mid-afternoon sun. My shirt was drenched, and I was sore and tired. I had to take breaks more frequently, and sweat was constantly running down my face and getting in my eyes. Along came Allen. He had a little bit of a smirk on his face.

“You see what you’re doing?”

“Uh huh?”

He pointed to a lifeguard sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water, twirling a whistle around two fingers while getting paid to work on her tan.

“You see what she’s doing?”

“Uh huh.”

“Wouldn’t you rather be doing that?”

He got me signed up for the class.

Sometimes you have to go looking for opportunities, and sometimes God plops them right in your path through someone like Allen. None of my reasons for avoiding the opportunity he presented were all that great; I just didn’t feel like doing it. I avoided the opportunity, but it just kept knocking.

You ever have an experience like that? In addition to the way you see how you might be suited for something, others may have some pretty valuable insight, too. If there’s someone in your life that keeps offering you the chance to be a part of a given ministry, but you’ve been turning them down, have you really stopped to ask yourself why? I’m guessing that it’s either because you don’t feel like that’s what you’re meant to do, or because you might feel like it’s a waste of your talents. If that person keeps singling you out, though, consider giving them a chance. They might see potential in you that you haven’t even thought about.

It could be the start of your ministry sweet spot.