Missions Minded

Missionaries are funny. People who go on missions  trips are even funnier. Now I'm speaking from a point of NEVER going on a missions trip (ill explain why in a bit).  But when someone comes back from a missions trip, it's ALL they can talk about. I mean in their mind we have missed out on the greatest opportunity God ever gave to any man, woman, child, or martian.  We must have missed God by like 4 states by not going on this missions trip. If were involved in another ministry....HOW DARE WE. Consequently one young woman this morning chastised the congregation. She made everyone stand up who had NOT gone on a missions trip, then exclaimed WHAT A SHAME....and continued to tell us how embarassed we should be for not going. (Funny note: This prompted a gentlemen next to me who also stood up to say: "But I supported over half that team...NOW WHAT?" I chuckled. A young lady who happens to help on my leadership team, and is in my college ministry, and is the pastors daughter. Shared her 3 week expierience with passion and conviction. In between both services I told her "BE THE FIRST". She looked at me quizzically. I said be the first to drag us to where God brought you to....Not allowing us to drag you back to "normality". 

     See for 11 years, I've heard of every missions trip is the most amazing. Only to watch every soul become the same shell they supposedly left here. It's like when they were unpacking from their missions trip, they went right ahead and unpacked that lazy, ego driven, complacient, critical christian they originally took with them. 

See the first young lady (the WHAT A SHAME lady) said about a 5 things completely offiensive to me. And you know what? I LIKED IT!!!!!!

        Seriously, I loved it. I was totally offended, and loved every second of it. You know why? I was in the prescence of passion. I was in the prescense of a EXPIERIENCE WITH GOD....The pastors daughter spoke on DREAMING BIG, in one of her points. I was hit with DREAM OBNOXIOUS....

DREAM OBNOXIOUS.....Think about that. Obnoxious people have absolutely no worry about who they are offending, where or what. They are obnoxious, and don't care WHO cares about it! A couple of these missionairies were seriously obnoxious, and offensive. And I loved every minute of it.

James 1:5 says (the message)

Ask Boldly. believing without a 2nd though. People who "worry about their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the mast that way, adrift at sea, keeping your options open

here's to OBNOXIOUSNESS.....

(to be continued....)

MISSED IT....BY "THAT" MUCH!!!!!!!

     Ever feel like your always 1 or 2 steps behind the next big idea. Last year a group of students and I begin feeding homeless communities in Lakeland Fla (before the city kicked them out). 6 months later REVIVAL HITS. For the last 10 months God's been putting a discontent in my heart how the church "Markets JESUS". Donald Miller writes a book called what? MARKETING JESUS! I swear in my line of work, there are always books being written, or philosophy's being implemented that "just" get done ahead of mine. As aggrevatting as that is, it's also comforting to know your in the right "ballpark", to where God is leading your life. This isn't that comforting though at the time. 

     You understand JOB (the bible guy..not the career) when he says "HE deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason' he sends them wandering through a trackless waste". 

But we must realize that as long as were in the same ocean, the waves of God's majestic visions will open in front of us. 

We must be patient. 

Psalms 143 says "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

     May we always be hungry to do. And patient to listen, wait, and BE STILL~

-ThE iDiOt-

The Mentor

Mentorship per Wikipedia is described as a developmental relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced partner reffered to as a protege- a person guided and protected by a more prominent person".

James 5:10 says this (message) Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! 

A mentor is a gift! A dying gift in today's world. 

Anyone who I ever council one of the first things I ask is "Who's your mentor" (in a Who's your daddy? kinda way).

I think when you live life without a mentor, your live a life that is LESS.

Less exciting

Less challenging

Less influential 

Just plain Less

God brings others into your lives to equip, challenge and encourage.

My favorite movie of all time is ROCKY. I believe in heaven 24/7 there will be a private mansion playing rocky 1-4 (skipping the last 2) for all of eternity. But that's just me.

There's a line where paully (rocky's brother in law) dares to ask Rocky what he see's in his sister. Rocky looks and him and says in a low mumble only true fans can understand.

"We fill gaps. She's got gaps, I got gaps...together we fill gaps".

Well said Rock.....Well said...

A mentor fills gaps.

Live a full life, find a mentor

To be continued....