Think of the great leaders of the past. Men and women who gave their lives for something that mattered. People like Benjamin Franklin, Ronald Reagan, Aimee Semple McPherson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

People who actually changed the world.

At some point they stepped into their God-given destiny and pursued it with all their might.

…now think about what matters to you.

What do you constantly think about?

What makes you mad?

What do you want to change?

These are hard questions to answer.

Figuring out your “calling” is not easy if we’re honest.

For me I think a lot about the future of our Nation. I hate communism and socialism because they are destructive ways of thinking that end in death and oppression.

I’m irritated that so many of us are content with playing church instead of getting empowered by God’s Spirit and then going into these systems and changing them.

Instead of standing at the sidelines, complaining and waiting for the world to burn we could be on the field and actually doing something to help.

But what do we do?

Take politics for example.

In church we’re taught to avoid this topic because of it’s divisive nature and the danger of falling under the influence of the political spirit.

But if we all dismiss ourselves from this critical part of culture… assuming “someone else” will step up and do it, then we lose the war before the first shot is fired.

I’m not sure what’s more destructive: apathetic Christians or devoted Atheists.

The Complacent Capitalist or the Committed Communist?

It’s hard say…

All I know is when I stand before God on that Day I will not be responsible for what “the church” did or didn’t do. God will not ask me what my friends on Facebook did or what the political or religious leaders of my day did.

He will ask me what I did. And He’ll ask you the same thing.

No. This is not about salvation. It’s not about earning your way to heaven with works.

We’re in by the blood of Jesus and our faith in Him. That’s settled.

But guess what’s unsettled…

What you and I do with what’s been given to us.

The gifts. The opportunities. The relationships. The time. The money.

How are we stewarding these things and how will we in the days to come?

When you consider your life you realize how short it is. It’s like a “vapor” in the grand scheme of things. So let’s say you live to be 100.

Now subtract your current age. For me, I would have 68 years left. 32 have been spent.

Even if you live a “long life” it’s still not a lot of time when you start thinking about the “big” things you could do with your life.

So again, I ask you: what would your life look like if you found the one thing you were called to do?

Have I found my one thing? I wish I could say yes. But I haven’t.

However I feel like I’m getting closer…

It’s like there’s all these puzzle pieces in front of me and slowly they are getting turned over so I can at least see them!

But now there’s just a mess of pieces in front of me.

I don’t know what to do except bring it to God and ask Him to continue to renew my mind so that I can be transformed so I can live out His will for my life.

What about you? Are you starting to see some of the pieces be turned over? Do you want God to show you what it looks like when they’re properly assembled?

If so then press in to Him. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Believe that God created you with an eternal purpose in mind and He is faithful to see it fulfilled… Just don’t give up!

The post What Will You Give Your One Little Life For? first appeared on Beyond Clichés.

Even unbelievers know it and use it when referencing underdogs who defeat big enemies.

A young shepherd boy with a slingshot defeats Goliath, a 9-foot tall giant trained in combat.

In order for this story to have a happy ending God had to show up. It had to be 100% him, right?

…all God and none of David. That sounds very Christian-like, right?

We love to sing songs like:

“All of You and none of me…

…I must decrease so he can increase.”

But is this way of thinking really how God wants us to operate?

I think there’s a better way.

But first of all, the point of this post is not to take away giving glory to God or to de-emphasize his role in this story.

No, the point is to gain a better understanding of how God really works in our lives to bring about stories worth living and telling.

Here’s the portion of scripture I want to focus on today:

“But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,

I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.

Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”

Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”

1 Samuel 17:34-37

Let me ask you this: if it’s all God and none of David then why is this conversation recorded in the Bible? Why did the Holy Spirit think it was important enough to be included in God’s Word?

It’s a story about David’s past battles and successes he had while working his old job as a shepherd.

If the story of David and Goliath has NOTHING to do with David, his abilities, experience or gifts and everything to do with God then wouldn’t it make more sense for David to fight Goliath without his past resume?

That’s how the I-Must-Decrease mindset would have us think…

…in order for God to “get all the glory” we should not mention or focus on our skills, gifts or past victories.

In other words, if we’re not talking about God we should just shut up.

Brother, I love your testimony. But make sure to keep the focus on God and not on your past accomplishments. Remember, without him we are nothing. 

Now let’s imagine David had stepped onto the battlefield that day with no prior fighting experience. Let’s pretend he never fought and killed a lion or bear before.

He steps on to the field and says, “God, I sure hope you know what you’re doing because I have no clue! I’ve never even used a slingshot before!”

See, doesn’t this sound like a better version of the story… one where God would HAVE TO come through? 

But there’s just one problem with this version of the All-God-No-David story: David would have been killed and his head would have been ripped off!

So what’s my point?

My point is God is not insecure about his glory. Yes, he deserves all the glory. Yes, without him we are nothing. But here’s another truth: if you’ve been born again you’re not without him!

And he is a good father… he trains us up so we know how to fight with him during our big battle. It’s not one or the other. It’s not 100% God or 100% us. That’s not even the right question to ask.

Instead we should ask things like, “Is God with us?”

“Do I believe I can fight this enemy and that God will give me victory?”

“Is there anything in my past history with God that I can draw on to strengthen my faith for this battle?”

Here’s what I’ll leave you with:

Whatever battle or challenge you face today — no matter how insignificant it may seem — is important because it’s a stepping stone to bigger, more important battles.

P.S. It’s ironic that when we sing about how “we must decrease so he can increase” or “all of you and none of me” that we’re actually still focusing on US! Crazy. Can we just get over the fact that God likes us and he doesn’t mind us growing in favor with himself and man? If we never win any crowns how can we cast a crown at his feet?

P.P.S. Yes, the other side of the ditch is that we would seek out our own glory and become prideful and egotistical. So there is a ditch on each side of this issue we have to make sure we don’t fall into. But remember, it’s better to respond to truth then to react to an error.

The post Without “David and the Bear” there Would Be No “David and Goliath” Story first appeared on Beyond Clichés.

It happened to me recently.

I met someone who wanted to talk about politics right away.

He told me his take on Donald Trump and why he wouldn’t be voting for him — unless his vote was actually the deciding vote, in which case he said he would vote for him (I didn’t understand his logic… but it made sense to him).

Anyway, I’m a sucker for political and philosophical talk (I don’t like admitting that, but it’s true), so I engaged with him in discussion.

So after my new friend told me about Trump he proceeded to say a phrase that I’ve also uttered many times before:

“Do you know what’s wrong with the church?”

It doesn’t really matter what he said after that (if you’re curious he said the main problem is thatwe’ve tried to argue social issues based on what the Bible says vs using logic and reason.)

We bantered back and forth until I finally got my turn to tell him “what I thought was wrong with the church” (which was that we’ve neglected to transform the 7 Mountains of Influence in culture like the media, the entertainment industry, etc.).

I thought about our conversation later and realized what was really wrong with the church.

Do you know what it is?

I’ll tell you…

What’s really wrong with the church is saying, “here’s what’s really wrong with the church.”

I’ll explain.

Newsflash: We Are the Church

The ironic thing about criticizing the church is that we are the church!

It’s the same reason why it’s so weird to criticize our government because if you’re a U.S. citizen you live in a government of the people, for the people.

So the moment we separate ourselves from the government or the church we’re essentially saying, “I’m not part of that thing over there. But I can tell you what’s wrong with it.”

By doing this we elevate ourselves to the role of judge and jury and remove ourselves from being an active participant in the very thing we have the power and authority to change!

(Side note: Isn’t it funny how we never focus our water cooler talks on what’s wrong with us? “Do you know what’s really wrong with me? Let me tell you..”).

Now I’m not suggesting that’s any better. That would just make us feel condemned and powerless (hmm… could this be why the church feels so condemned and powerless too?).

So what should we do?

…especially if there really are problems with the church that drive us nuts?

If You Can See What’s Wrong Don’t Stop There!

I believe people who are overly critical have a gift. It’s called the gift of criticism! 

But seriously, I do believe people who are super critical have a gift that the enemy has perverted for his own purposes.

Those who are gifted in discernment and the prophetic (which to some degree we all are) are more susceptible to being critical when they’re not walking in the fullness of their gifts.

For example, let’s say you pray for someone and can “see” things that are not right in the person’s life. In the moment you have a choice:

1. You can either call out what’s wrong with them and tell the person to repent.

Or…

2. You can look a little deeper and call out the gold that’s in them.

In other words you can either focus on what God is doing and who they really are. Or on what God’s not doing and the sin in their life.

It’s the same way when you look at the church. You can “discern” what’s wrong but if you stop there you’re stopping short.

This is part of the maturing process we must go through.

It’s why Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Did you catch that?

It says we must learn to discern both good and evil. Not just evil.

3 Ways To Stop Tearing Down and Start Building Up

So how do we do this?

How can we grow up and stop acting like powerless armchair quarterbacks who point out the mistakes our team makes?

Here are three ideas:

1. Start identifying as “the church” and stop talking about the church as if it’s something separate from you.

2. Focus on what is good about the church (and not just your church. Think of a church you disagree with and find at least ONE good thing to meditate on about that church).

3. The next time you get mad because you feel the church isn’t doing something right (or is doing something wrong), take time to bring that before the Lord and ask Him to show you His plan for that issue. In other words, practice discerning what is “good.”

I’m writing this to myself as much as I am to you. Like I said, I enjoy political and philosophical talks a little too much.

And the critical spirit is definitely something I’ve wrestled with over the years. So I hope to practice what I preach and take steps towards being someone who can discern good as well as evil.

What about you? Is this something you’ve struggle with or have had victory in? Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you.

The post Do You Know What’s Wrong with the Church Today? first appeared on Beyond Clichés.

I recently read this quote by C.S. Lewis:

It often happens that two schoolboys can solve difficulties in their work for one another better than the master can. The fellow-pupil can help more than the master because he knows less. The difficulty we want him to explain is one he has recently met. The expert met it so long ago he has forgotten.

After reading that I felt inspired to start writing on here again. Why?

Because I’m convinced that there’s value in sharing my journey with others, even if I’m an “amateur” when it comes to God and spiritual things.

And when I talk about being a “spiritual amateur” I’m just being honest. It’s not some false humility or anything like that. And I’m not saying I don’t know God or haven’t matured in my relationship with him over these past 12 years. I have. I pray, read the Bible and all that good stuff. But yet I feel like there’s a quality of life with God that I’m missing.

I feel like my “spiritual life” has been anything but “spiritual.” It’s been more intellectual. Lots of thinking, talking, reading and teaching about God. But not much in the way of real tangible spiritual experiences. I’ve had some. And I’ve even witnessed some amazing miracles with my own eyes. And I’m grateful for everything I’ve experienced. But the point is I still consider myself an amateur when it comes to walking in the spirit, hearing from God and operating in the supernatural.

An Amateur at Love

And if I’m really honest I also consider myself an amateur when it comes to love.

You know that four letter word that’s we’re supposed to be so excited about as Christians?

Well, frankly, the topic of “love” hasn’t interested me much. For example, I’d rather read or talk about a lot of things before talking about loving people. I’d rather learn more how to be more productive, how to impact the world, how to meditate and hear from God, etc.

Love just sounds kind of lame.

I know. I’m not supposed to say that. But I’m telling you, I’m a spiritual amateur. I know. I get it.

But I don’t want it to always be this way.

And I feel like God is inviting me on a new journey with him. A journey into discovering who he really is and who I really am in him.

So I thought, You know what? I should probably document this journey.

Why?

Not because I have answers (far from it, I have way more questions these days than I have answers. It’s funny because as a new believer I had more answers than questions! Funny, how that works).

And it’s not because I’m an expert and I’m going to “show you” how to do this thing with God.

No, the reason I feel like I should share this journey publicly is because I’ve personally benefited from reading the stories of others who have decided to “publicly bare their soul.”

Inspired by Frank Labauch’s Journal from 1930

People like Frank Labauch who wrote this in his journal on January 26, 1930:

In defense of my opening my soul and laying it bare to the public gaze in this fashion, I may say that it seems to me that we really seldom do anybody much good excepting as we share the deepest experiences of our souls in this way. It is not the fashion to tell your inmost thoughts, but there are many wrong fashions, and concealment of the best is us is wrong. I disapprove of the usual practice of talking “small talk” whenever we meet, and holding a veil over our souls. If we are so impoverished that we have nothing to reveal but small talk, then we need to struggle for more richness of soul. As for me I am convinces that this spiritual pilgrimage which I am making is infinitely worth while, the most important thing I know of to talk about. And talk I shall while there is anybody to listen. And I hunger — O how I hunger! for others to tell me their soul adventures.

Do I think I’m going to be another “Frank Labauch”? Well, yeah hopefully! The dude was awesome. I’m totally not ashamed to say that I want to be like him. He was very mystical and yet very practical at the same time in the work he did with the Moros in the Philippines, helping them to read and write.

But even if I never get to the place Labauch reached in his spiritual pilgrimage I still think it’d be worth it to follow his lead and to share my innermost thoughts, challenges and wins with the world.

Am I scared to do this? Of course. I don’t like “putting it all out there.” I’d much rather write posts like “7 Ways to Become a More Effective Christian” or the “Lost Art of Biblical Mediation” or something very structured and helpful like that.

For for now, my goal is simple: be as honest as I can (that itself is no easy task) and to keep pursuing a real relationship with God from my heart.

By the way, if you want to do the same thing (share your inner journey with God too) then let us know in the comments below where we can read your stories.

I’m excited and nervous at the same time. Part of me wants to just hit the DELETE button vs the PUBLISH button top. So if you’re reading this you’ll know which butting I pressed.

The post Why Write About God if You’re a Spiritual Amateur? first appeared on Beyond Clichés.

It’s also the first place I experienced grace from people. I remember opening up my heart and really letting people know what was going on inside of me.

And the strangest thing happened… nobody judged me! They didn’t even give me “concerned” looks.

It was like they were saying,”Josh, it’s OK. You’re not alone. We know what you’re going through. And you’re not a bad person.”

It was certainly an “attractive” culture. And later on I learned that this was part of their “growth strategy.” In other words, the founders of the program made a deliberate decision to focus on “attraction rather than promotion.”

You’re probably familiar with A.A.’s “12 Steps” but they also have “12 Traditions” they use to govern their groups. And Tradition 11 is all about attraction vs promotion. It reads:

“Tradition 11: Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion. There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us.”

The crazy part about this “attraction growth strategy” is that it worked in a big way. In fact, as of January 1, 2015 there’s an estimated 2 million people in A.A. in 175 countries.

After attending well over 100 A.A. meetings and even more church meetings, I often think about some things churches could learn from A.A.’s culture. And this whole “attraction over promotion” is one of the most important.

And if you’re a Christian reading this and you don’t think there’s anything to learn from a “secular” institution like A.A. then you’re probably right.

However, if you’re willing to do things differently. If you’re willing to think outside the box and experiment with new ways of growing your church or ministry then keep reading. I’m going to share some ideas that I hope will help.

1. Make a Decision to Be Attractive

Everything starts with a decision. A commitment. It doesn’t matter if you know how to do it or if you feel capable or confident right now. The first step is to make a decision.

Because it’s going to be really hard if you believe that the only way to grow your church is through promotion. In other words, if you think the only way to grow your church is through:

• Advertising
• Witnessing
• “Door to door” proselytizing
• “Getting involved in the community”

By the way, I mention “Getting involved in the community” because often this “involvement” is motivated by a hidden agenda to promote a church instead of really just help meet a genuine need in the community).

Now, I’m not saying that any of those promotional strategies are “wrong” or bad. I’m just proposing that there’s a better way. This is not about right vs wrong. We have to stop thinking about everything like that.

Instead, I want to suggest that there’s a way the church can become attractive to the world once again.

I believe God’s Presence and His Kingdom and very attractive to people. It’s religion that has become so repulsive to so many. If you believe that then I’ll ask you to consider making that decision to embrace “attraction rather than promotion” to grow your church.

2. Form an Attractive Culture

What does this mean? Well, let’s first talk about what it doesn’t mean.

It’s not the things listed on your “About Page” on your church’s website. It’s not your Mission Statement, Statement of Faith or even your stated Core Values.

Culture is much more real than those words. Culture is the atmosphere people come into when they spend time with you and the people in your church. Sometimes, what’s written on a church’s website is acuratley reflected in the culture of the church but most the time it’s not.

If you don’t believe me then try this little experiment: visit 10 different local church websites and read their “About” pages (you’ll find most of them all start to sound the same). Now go visit each one of those churches and you’ll find that there’s a different culture in each one.

How’s that happen?

Well, duh, just because we write something or say something doesn’t mean we’re being honest.

So if you want to form an attractive culture in your church then you have to decide what you’re really going to value as a people.

For example, going back to my A.A. example, one of their values is “acceptance.” This is talked about, and practiced, heavily. So much so that when I walked into an A.A. group I actually felt accepted. Nobody had to tell me this was part of their culture. I didn’t read it on their website. I experienced it.

And that’s how culture works. It’s what people experience more than what they hear. And pardon me for the cliche, but it’s “caught not taught.”

So what values do you want in your church? Acceptance? Love? Honor? Hope?

You have to decide and you have to really go after those things. And go after the substance of those words, not the concepts and theories. Make it real!

3. Believe God is Good

I don’t know anything that will repel people more than preaching a God who is not good. Who wants to go learn about a God who is pissed off and ready to judge all these people who put Him in a bad mood?

Now, most Christians would say “God is good.” But that phrase has become such a cliche people don’t even know what they’re saying. In fact, after I got saved I observed a peculiar contradiction amongst some of my fellow churchgoers.

Here’s what would I saw:

One person, would say, “God is good.” And the other person (or small group of people) would respond. “All the time. God is good.”

I was like, wow, did they practice that? It’s kind of weird how they all talk in unison. But that’s cool they think God is good. I think He’s good too… I mean I haven’t had a drink or drug in like  30 days. He’s great!

But then I would talk to these people and quickly realize they didn’t really believe God was good. Or if they did they redefined “good” in such a crazy way…

“Yes God is good but that doesn’t mean He won’t allow sickness and tragedy and even use things like earthquakes and tsunamis to judge rebellions people.”

Yikes!

I think I hold to the more traditional definition of good. It’s more closely associated with smiling faces, happiness and joy. Not death, destruction and judgement.

In Closing

I hope this give you something to think about. I really believe God’s people can create atmospheres and cultures that are very attractive to unbelievers.

And by the way, to those of you who think this is just another way of saying I think your church should be “seeker friendly” let me say this: I believe in preaching the “Good News” with boldness. I believe in allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way, even if it gets messy. So I’m not saying you try to just please people. I’m saying that if you’re willing to form a culture that reminds people of heaven then you’ll start attracting people you would have never reached had you just relied on promotion.

The post Attraction Rather Than Promotion: A Better Way to Grow a Church first appeared on Beyond Clichés.

• Alcohol should be banned.
• Pot should be legalized.
• Religion should be destroyed.
• America should be delivered from crazy liberals.

However, over the last several years I’ve been learning how to spend less time arguing, and more time encouraging people.

And today I want to share my story in case you’re tired of wasting so much time arguing and debating.

So if you find yourself getting sucked into debate after debate… if your blood pressure spikes every time you open Facebook and you want to change that then keep reading.

By the way, after I share my story here’s what I’m not going to tell you to do:

• “Now, just stop arguing and be nice!”
• “Follow this nice little 5-Step Plan to be free from argumentativeness.”
• “Arguing is just a symptom of the flesh. So just kill the flesh.”

Remember, this blog is called “Beyond Cliches.” So I try to do my best to avoid using powerless cliches to solve real problems.

And my personal opinion is that many people who are prone to argue actually have a gift of exhortation that’s been twisted. So I don’t think God just wants to “kill” that part of you. I believe He wants to “redeem” it and use it for His glory.

OK. So here we go… let’s turn the clock back to 6th grade when I was 11 years old.

Stage 1: Ban Alcohol!

I remember my Mom telling me she thought I would be a lawyer one day because of how much I argued and debated. My Mom was, and is, a loving person.

However, she also struggled with alcoholism during my childhood. As the oldest of 5 kids, I was the one who would stay up late to make sure Mom came home from the bars safely.

And since I was up at 2 and 3 a.m. I saw firsthand the effects alcohol had on my Mom and her marriage. There were many late-night fights I eavesdropped on and it wasn’t long before I developed a hatred for alcohol.

When I was 11 I wrote a persuasive paper for school about the evils of alcohol and how it should be banned from society! Arguing this point made me feel like I was doing something to fight this evil.

So for years I carried around an intense hatred for alcohol. I was quick to remind people that alcohol is responsible for more deaths than all illicit drugs combined!

However, my crusade against alcohol only lasted a few years… until the time I started drinking (oops, how did that happen!?).

Stage 2: Legalize Pot!

Fast forward a few years to the summer of my 8th grade year. I was 14 and found myself getting drunk for the first time as me and my friends, Abe and Adam, snuck shots of 151 from Adam’s parents’ kitchen. I also got stoned for the first time that summer.

I enjoyed these substances that allowed me to escape reality. So I had a “change of heart” regarding the whole “ban alcohol” argument… maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

By the time I was 16 I was smoking pot daily and getting drunk most weekends. And even though I had stopped arguing to ban alcohol my argumentative side still needed an outlet and so I found another issue: legalizing pot.

I wrote another persuasive paper for school (my poor teachers, I wonder what they thought of these papers) arguing how marijuana should be legalized!

I was armed with all the facts (at least all the facts a 16-year-old stoner could retain, many of which were inaccurate if you click here and fact-check 16-year-old me at the time) and ready to debate anyone.

However, my crusade to legalize pot only lasted a few years because one of my main arguments was that “marijuana is not a gateway drug.”

Then I tried cocaine when I was 18. So that threw a wrench in my, “it’s not a gateway drug” argument.

Stage 3: Destroy Religion!

I got saved when I was 20. And, of course, a lot changed when that happened. But not everything.

For example, the desire to argue didn’t leave. It just took on a new form. One of the first things I remember arguing as a believer was about Holy Spirit.

I got baptized in the Spirit while praying with my grandma on the phone. And I remember crying, laughing and speaking a new language I never spoke before.

I was so excited because I could feel a power inside of me that I hadn’t felt before. It allowed me to say no to things (such as temptations and cravings) that I never could have before. It was like I was finally in control of my will for the first time. It was awesome!

As I studied the Bible I saw references to Holy Spirit everywhere. I was excited about that but also alarmed because I felt like Christians weren’t talking about Him much. I was like, “Come on guys, don’t forget about God’s Spirit…Why aren’t we talking about Him? What’s going on?!”

The whole “Holy Spirit is being ignored” argument turned out to be a gateway drug into more serious debates, such as the “evils of religion.”

I started to see how destructive religion was and how it kept people from actually experiencing spiritual realities. I saw all the hypocrisy and phoniness in the church and was determined to see revival, and God’s Presence, defeat all these religious spirits. I was a man on a mission!

Then one day I was at a worship conference in Dallas and felt the Lord confront me about my “hatred for religion.” In a moment a simple truth was downloaded into my spirit, which was:

“You will become the thing you hate because it’s what you’re focusing on.”

I was also immediately aware of a connection between my hatred for alcohol and the fact I became an alcoholic (Side note: I don’t believe that’s the only reason I became an alcoholic. And I admit I don’t understand how that all works. But I do believe there was some sort of connection between the two.)

The bottom line was that I knew if I continued down my zealous path of hating religion I would become the thing I hated: a religious person. So I stopped.

Stage 4: Stop the Liberals!

After I ended my worldwide campaign against religion I found myself engaged in yet a new battle: politics.

I read political books, blogs and listened to a lot of talk radio during this time.

And it wasn’t long until I had a new mission: get America back on track (apparently I was going to do it single-handedly!).

My life verse during this time was Psalm 11:3, “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”

I was not going to let the foundations of the country I loved be destroyed by left-winged liberals! Never. Give me liberty or give me death (or at least give me one more talk show radio episode)!

At one point I got so fed up with the liberal media that I felt convicted that I had to either do something or shut up.

So I decided to start a hyperlocal media website for my city. I named it the Battle Ground Buzz. This was an interesting experience and I learned a lot.

For example, I learned:

• Local politics is not nearly as exciting as federal politics.
• Local politics has more of a direct impact on your life than federal politics.
• It’s harder to just “pick a side/party” in local politics.
• The issues are complex and there are no easy answers.
• Every “solution” has trade offs.

Within a week of launching the Buzz I got to sit down with the Mayor of Battle Ground and had a great talk. I learned we disagreed about some issues but agreed on others.

The same thing happened as I met with the City Council Members. So it became harder to continue with the “us vs them” mindset.

This was also during the first year of my new freelance copywriting business so I had less time to read and debate politics.

Eventually, the demands of my business crowded out my political crusade… but I wasn’t ready to give it up. I just told myself, After I make a bunch of money then I’ll really have time to fight for these issues.

(Early) Stage 5: Freedom from Argumentativeness!

Fast forward about 4 years to today. I’d like to say, “Well, now all that arguing is behind me. I’m a changed man and I never argue anymore!”

But that’s not true. However, some significant things have really changed in my heart over the last several years. Changes that have resulted in more peace, love and happiness in my life.

For example, I don’t feel compelled to enter into every discussion about something I disagree with.

Just the other night I heard someone complain about how wrong he thought it was that some CEOs make so much money while their workers make so little.

Immediately, my mind pulled up all the files in this topic and I felt tempted to go sit near him so I could give my two cents.

Questions I would pose formed in my mind in seconds like, “So what do you think should be done about this? Do you think the government should intervene?” And, “Do you think money is finite or infinite? In other words, do you think there’s a fixed amount of wealth in the world so that in order for one person to get ahead it means it’s being taken from another person?”

But I resisted.

I remembered I wasn’t going to change his mind and it wasn’t my responsibility to argue in favor of capitalism every time someone attacked it. Plus, I knew it would create negative emotions in me and in him. So I kept quiet. And I’m happy I did.

This may seem like a small thing. But for me it’s a big deal. It’s like a recovering alcoholic who finds himself in a room full of people drinking, yet doesn’t pick up a drink.

So what happened? How did I go from being a zealous crusader to someone who could sit quietly and refrain from debating?

Good questions.

I would love to end this by giving you some sort of “5-Steps on How to Be Less Argumentative.” But honestly, I don’t know exactly what those steps would be. So that would feel contrived.

Instead, I’d like to share three areas of my life God has used to form new values in me. Values that have allowed me to experience more freedom when it comes to arguments:

1. Bethel
2. Marriage
3. Copywriting

How God Used Bethel, Marriage and Copywriting to Instill New Values

1. Bethel

I’ve been drinking from the life-giving messages out of Bethel for the last 10 years. And several years ago I started learning about something called a “Culture of Honor” from a few of their teachers (Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton and Danny Silk) on their weekly podcast.

I could write a whole post about a culture of honor. But I’ll sum it up by this Bill Johnson quote:

“A culture of honor celebrates who someone is, without stumbling over who they are not.”

Developing a culture of honor has been an important value in our home. Lacie and I both feel it’s an attribute that we want present in our lives and family culture.

Therefore, we stopped being so critical of other people, we stopped using sarcasm and we started to look for the gold in people instead of focusing on their flaws. Of course we haven’t done this perfectly but it’s an area where we’ve grown and continue to progress in.

2. Marriage

Speaking of Lacie, my relationship with her has played an important role in helping me be free from an argumentative spirit. If you’re married you know you can be right but also be wrong at the same time.

If you’re not married this means you can technically be right about something but in your zeal to defend your position you can hurt your spouse. In other words, it’s possible to value being right over the relationship.

3. Copywriting

The third area of life God has used to renew my heart and mind in this area is copywriting. As a full-time freelance copywriter I’ve studied a lot about psychology, human desire and the principles of persuasion.

And one of the most important truths I’ve discovered about desire comes from legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz.

He says, “Mass desire is the public spread of a private want.” And the job of the copywriter is to figure out how to channel that desire (not create it).

So in order for my copywriting and marketing efforts to succeed I’ve learned a great deal about identifying certain desires and how to channel them into my client’s product or service.

When I’ve ignored this truth and tried to “plant a desire” in someone’s mind my copywriting is not as effective.

Once I understood this truth I also understood that it’s almost impossible to try and change someone’s mind about a deep-rooted belief. This is why arguments are usually a waste of time. It’s the equivalent of trying to plant a desire into a consumer’s mind for a product he doesn’t really want.

Instead, I’ve found it’s more effective to encourage people to pursue the desires they already have. This is the difference between arguing and exhorting someone.

So those are the three areas God used to help set me free from the constant addiction to arguing.

I’m not saying He’ll use the same things for you. But I would encourage you to at least listen to some of the teachings from Bethel if you’re interested about learning how to develop a culture of honor. I believe that’s a key component in walking in freedom.

Let me know if you have any questions or comments below. Thanks.

The post What I Learned in My Crusades to Ban Alcohol, Legalize Pot, Destroy Religion and Save the Nation first appeared on Beyond Clichés.

I think it is because the Bible commands us to. So how do we do it? How do we cultivate a thankful heart and attitude despite what’s going on?

I don’t know. But I want to find out.

I do know one thing though… thankfulness isn’t dependent on circumstances or things going our way. At least that’s true for me.

For example, I’m a goal oriented person. I enjoy starting new projects, getting things done and taking steps towards my goals. I guess you could call me Type-A. And I realized there’s a danger to constantly living this way if I’m not careful to pause to be thankful.

The danger is that I could always be living in the future and never take time to enjoy the present. This hit me hard this morning, let me explain…

We have three kids, ages 3, 1 and 2 months. Needless to say we don’t usually get a full uninterrupted night’s sleep. But last night was harder than normal. Our Lily (1-year-old) is teething has a rash. So she woke up multiple times.

And our 3-year-old, Emma Grace, loves life so much she bolts out of bed as soon as she can… which is usually before 7:00 am. So anyway, after a rough night I get up and immediately I’m in a grumpy mood.

The thoughts going through my head include:

I have to talk to Lacie about our whole “traveling in a motorhome idea” and let her know it’s not going to work if it’s going to be like this… I need rest to work. And I haven’t been able to focus on work in the mornings.

I have so much work to do. I really need to get out go here and go to a coffee shop to work.

Things will be better when I move from a service-based business to a product-based business model.

Then it hit me. Life is good. Really good. Here I am in Sunriver staying in a cool little vacation house with my wife, kids and sister. I get to work remotely so I’m able to take trips like this. I have 3 beautiful kids who I love and who love me. Life is good.

I have every reason in the world to be thankful.

And so I just started telling God what I was thankful for, out loud. I believe there’s power in our words and I felt it this morning as my mood shifted from grumpy, cranky tired Dad to a grateful Father, Husband, Brother and Son.

Thankfulness is always an option. But I believe we have to choose it. Life is good. Think about it… think of everything you have to be thankful for and tell God out loud about it.

The post Thankfulness Is A Choice first appeared on Beyond Clichés.

Recently, I met two new people. Shaun, was at a business prayer meeting I attended in Vancouver, WA (link to his blog) and Tim, is a pastor I met online (link to his blog).

And they both essentially told me the same thing: “Josh, I’ve read your blog and I hope you keep writing on it.”

I thought, Yeah, maybe I should start writing there more. 

So I pulled up this blog to see when the last time I posted was and it was 11 months ago! Wow.

And then I read my last post and felt convicted when I read what I wrote:

When I heard, “to obey is better than sacrifice” I knew God was referring to something specific in my life: writing. More specifically, writing on this blog, Beyond Cliches.

I haven’t been writing on here even though I believe God wants me to. I have a million excuses why I keep “putting it off”.

Then I thought, Great, I’m not only disobeying God… I’m doing it publicly. How embarrassing. 

Yes, I know. I shouldn’t care what other people think, only what God thinks. You’re right.

But I’m just being honest about how I felt. Why? Because someone else may be feeling the same way about something and hopefully this helps. Plus, I appreciate it when people are honest in their writing.

So that’s where I found myself this morning as I sat there sipping my coffee: convicted but motivated to act.

Let’s be honest… it’s not easy to obey when you know in your heart you’ve disobeyed. Especially when it’s not the first time.

There’s the temptation to ignore that area of life. To move on. To say, “Yeah, I’ll get to that later.” But “later” usually means never.

Therefore, the best remedy is to simply repent and then take a step in the right direction. And for me that means writing this post. For you that probably means something different.

But I believe “delayed obedience” is better than never obeying (and of course obeying right away is better than both).

Here’s one last thought I’ll leave you with. It’s tempting to make bold resolutions at times like this:

“I’ll write in here every day for a year!”

“I’ll never take a drink again!”

“I’ll start exercising every day for the next 6 months!”

“I’ll read the Bible all the way through this year!”

And then comes the day we mess up. We don’t write. We forget to exercise. We fall behind on our Bible reading plan. We relapse.

Then what?

You feel bad because you realize you can’t keep the internal commitments you’ve made to yourself and to others. It’s not a fun feeling. But I encourage you to take advantage of those times because it simply means willpower alone is not enough to succeed. It’s times like this we realize that yes, without God, we are powerless over certain things and that it causes our lives to become unmanageable.

But don’t stop there… the next step is to realize that the power we need to overcome anything, or do anything meaningful with our lives, comes from God.

We may be powerless. But God wants to empower us by His Holy Spirit. I really believe that. Do you?

The post Delayed Obedience Is Better Than Disobedience first appeared on Beyond Clichés.

“So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”

When I heard, “to obey is better than sacrifice” I knew God was referring to something specific in my life: writing. More specifically, writing on this blog, Beyond Cliches.

I haven’t been writing on here even though I believe God wants me to. I have a million excuses why I keep “putting it off”. Some of my favorite are:

• I have nothing important to say.
• I should do everything with “excellence” so I don’t want to write on here again unless it’s quality writing.
• I don’t want to start writing and then quit like I did before.
• My time would be better spent in my prayer closet than writing a blog.

And it was that last one that I believe God was confronting. I’ve gotten in the habit of waking early at 5:00 am, making my coffee and toast and then setting my timer for  60 minutes of devotional time. I’m definitely a creature of habit and I believe strongly in the value of developing good habits.

So each morning (I don’t do this every morning) I wake up, take a shower, then go downstairs and make myself a green smoothie and a piece of toast. Then I make myself a cup of coffee and step into my home office by 5:40 am. That’s when the 60 minute timer starts. I usually read for about 30 minutes and then step into my prayer closet and pray for the remaining 30 minutes.

And today, during my reading time I read this:

“The lifting up of holy hands is essential to Christlike praying. It is not, however, a holiness which only dedicates a closet to God, which sets apart merely an hour to him, but a consecration which takes hold of the entire man, which dedicates the whole life to God.” – E.M. Bounds.

I thought, shoot, that’s me. I’m good at separating an hour to God but what about the other 16 waking hours of my day? How often do I think about God during the day? 

Bounds went on to talk about the importance of obeying God and how it affects our prayer life. So with that thought in mind I stepped into my prayer closet and that’s when the words, “To obey is better than sacrifice” became loud and clear. My next thought was, If God asked me to write again then why I’m I so concerned with spending “exactly 60 minutes reading & praying” when I’m not doing what He asked me to do in the first place? 

So with that I stepped out of my closet and started writing this post.

I don’t know where this will go. But I believe, at least in this season of my life, that God wants me to write in here again. And I feel like I’m supposed to share my journey with God, not just “Bible teachings”.

I don’t know about you but I feel like we’re flooded with “information” about God. But we’re starved for insights on how to actually live spiritual lives. How do we actually engage in this new life that Christ died for us to have? What do we do when church is over on Sunday afternoon?

Well, something that has helped me is reading other peoples’ stories of their journeys. And lately one man stands out to me. His name is Frank Labauch.

I don’t have time to go too in depth about Labauch’s story but here’s an excerpt from his story which you can read more about here:

Frank Charles Laubach was a man with, a big heart who made a difference.
Time magazine called him Mr. Literacy…..
Many others called him the “Apostle to the Illiterates”…….
Lowell Thomas called him the ‘greatest teacher of our time’……
On the anniversary of his 100th birthday in 1984, the U.S. Post Office honored him by putting his picture on a postage stamp in the Great American series.
But perhaps the most touching, and revealing title was given him by the tribes of the Belgian Congo. They called him Okombekombe, which means “mender of old baskets”, because he taught old people to read and write.

In a nutshell: Labauch was both a mystic and man who accomplished great things in the world. Lately I’ve been benefiting greatly from going through his journals. Here’s one entry that got me thinking about this blog and why it’s important to share our inward journeys:

October 12, 1930

“How I wish, wish, wish that a dozen or more persons who are trying to hold God endlessly in mind would all write their experiences so that each would know what the other was finding as a result! The results, I think, would astound the world. At least the results of my own effort are astounding to me… The very universe has come to seem so homey! I know only a little more about it than before, but that little is all! It is vibrant with the electric ecstasy of God! I know what it means to be ‘God intoxicated.”

And I agree. I wish more people would share their experiences about “trying to hold God endlessly in mind.” We Christians talk and write about so many things but why is this not one of them? Is it because it’s “weird”? Labauch wrote this in another entry on January 26, 1930:

It is not the fashion to tell your inmost thoughts, but there are many wrong fashions, and concealment of the best is us is wrong. I disapprove of the usual practice of talking “small talk” whenever we meet, and holding a veil over our souls. If we are so impoverished that we have nothing to reveal but small talk, then we need to struggle for more richness of soul. As for me I am convinces that this spiritual pilgrimage which I am making is infinately worth while, the most important thing I know of to talk about. And talk I shall while there is anybody to listen. And I hunger — O how I hunger! for others to tell me their soul adventures.

So there you have it. That’s a little glimpse into the writings that have gotten me so stirred up. It makes me want to embark on the same type of experiment that Labauch conducted: to try and hold God in mind every moment of the day (he called it “the Game with Minutes”). And then to write about the results. My hope is that I’ll meet other people out there who are interested in doing the same. And like Labauch said, I would love to know what results those people are finding.

Feel free to leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

The post To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice first appeared on Beyond Clichés.

And now that I have a 1-year-old daughter I use it now more than ever.

“No Emma, don’t touch that!”

“No Emma, don’t crawl up the stairs!”

“No, Emma don’t take Daddy’s chess pieces!”

I say no a lot.

But I’m also learning that saying no is important in other areas of life.

When I first became a Christian I was pretty much incapable of saying no.

I’d say yes to every volunteer activity, church meeting and group. So much so that I wound up having a commitment 6-7 nights a week!

And after a while I realized that being busy with Christian activity was not the same as growing spiritually.

I also realized that I didn’t like to say no because I really wanted to please everyone.

Fast forward 9 years and I no longer say yes to everything. In fact, I say no to most things. And I don’t feel bad about it.

And it’s not just because I’m “too busy.” It’s because in order to focus on what I’m called to do I must say no to a hundred different things in order to focus on the big yeses.

So that’s all I got today. An admonition to say no more often. For obvious reasons this message isn’t a popular one at most churches.

But most churches focus on Christian activity instead of spiritual growth. Remember that.

And remember that you only have one life to live. When it’s all said and done will it matter how many church activities you were involved in or that you took the time to know Him?

Just food for thought.

Sorry this post isn’t more organized… I wrote it on the fly tonight. But hope it speaks to someone out there.

The post The Lost Art Of Saying No first appeared on Beyond Clichés.